It Happened One Summer
by ChelseaBloom
Summary: Tristan and Rory go on a trip... read to find out what happens! Rating's just a precaution. Please R/R! :) *Complete*
1. You Don't Know

OK everyone, here it is. My new fanfic. This takes place between the first and second seasons. It is kind of an AU. Luke and Lorelei have been married for about eight years. They bought the Crap Shack when they married. Two years ago, Lorelei gave birth to twins; Emma and Leigh (get it?). Therefore, everything concerning Dean, Tristan, and Rory happened (Except, he never got the PJ Harvey tickets, he just asked her out on a date, because I forgot about that part and I don't feel like incorporating it into the story now.) Everything concerning Max and Lorelei, however, didn't happen. I took a break from my Oscar Wilde project to write this part, but I really shouldn't have done that. Just to warn you all, it may be a few days before I get the next chapter out, but it shouldn't be TOO long. Enjoy the fic!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls or any of the characters you may recognize from the show. That all belongs to the WB and I don't know who else. I also don't own any of the songs that may be used in the fic. Ok then, legal duty's taken care of… on with the show!  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
'I hate him.' Tristan reflected on those words as he sat in his car. He had hastily packed a bag and now he was headed…. somewhere. Anywhere. All he knew was: he had to get away. Away from his parents. Away from his house, the large, ostentatious mansion that was a poor excuse for a home. He thought for a moment, decided he would go to his parent's summer home on Mackinac Island, in Michigan. His parents hardly ever went there anymore. They had recently purchased a villa in France, and preferred to vacation there now. As he drove, he thought of her. Rory Gilmore. The bane of his existence, and his love. 'She hates me.' Tristan sighed, and turned on the radio. It was currently tuned to some top 40 station, his sister or latest date must have fiddled with the radio. Then, he started paying attention to the song that was playing on the radio.  
  
Who could know the emptiness inside  
  
Every time I see your face  
  
Too many feelings left behind  
  
Do you wonder why  
  
I turn away when you look at me  
  
Never wanting your eyes to see  
  
This desperate heart that knows  
  
How perfect we could be  
  
Baby, 'cause you don't know how I feel  
  
Livin' my life without you  
  
Baby, and you don't know what it's like  
  
Lovin' you all this time  
  
I'll give you all my love, heart and soul  
  
Riskin' it all on a chance  
  
Now when I need you the most  
  
You don't know  
  
All I ever wanted in this world  
  
Baby, I found in you  
  
I never felt this way before  
  
But I can't break through  
  
And now I lie awake, alone at night  
  
So afraid now to close my eyes  
  
Just one more dream of you  
  
I'll carry here inside  
  
Baby, 'cause you don't know how I feel  
  
Livin' my life without you  
  
Baby, and you don't know what it's like  
  
Lovin' you all this time  
  
I'll give you all my love, heart and soul  
  
Riskin' it all on a chance  
  
Now when I need you the most  
  
You don't know  
  
And I would hold you all through the night  
  
I would stay right by your side  
  
And I'd give you the world if your love was mine  
  
But, baby, could it be I'm only dreamin'  
  
Don't let it pass me by  
  
Baby, 'cause you don't know how I feel  
  
Livin' my life without you  
  
Baby, and you don't know what it's like  
  
Lovin' you all this time  
  
I'll give you all my love, heart and soul  
  
Riskin' it all on a chance  
  
Now when I need you the most  
  
You don't know  
  
Oh, baby, you don't know  
  
  
  
"And that was 98 Degrees, with their new hit, "You Don't Know". The group-"  
  
Tristan reached over put a CD in. Linkin Park; it was one of his favorites. He turned the CD to "Papercut" and sighed. He reflected on the song he had just heard on the radio. It described his relationship with Rory perfectly. He sighed, and thumped his fist on the dashboard of his Mercedes SUV in frustration. Just then, the car began to sputter, and stopped altogether. Tristan groaned. Dammit. He was out of gas! How could he have been so stupid? Tristan sighed. He grabbed the keys and got out of the car. He locked it, and began walking. The windows were tinted, so he figured the stuff inside the car was safe.  
  
As luck would have it, he came upon an inn about half-mile down the road. He decided to stop and ask for directions to the nearest gas station. He looked at the building. The Independence Inn. 'How quaint' he thought to himself. He sighed, and went inside.  
  
Inside, a grouchy, black, Frenchman was speaking to someone on the phone. "I'm sorry, we are booked…" Just then, a pretty brunette came up to him. "Michele, give me the phone." She snatched the phone from him. "I apologize for that. Now, when did you need a room?" she flipped through a book. "Yes, we have a room available for that date. Ok. Thank you." She hung up the phone. Suddenly, she seemed to notice Tristan. "I'm sorry, do you need any help?"  
  
"Um, I was just wondering if I could get directions to the nearest service station. My car ran out of gas-"The woman interrupted him.  
  
"I'm afraid you're out of luck. The gas station is closed for now, because Gypsy's on vacation. She'll be back tomorrow. In the meantime, you can stay here." The woman flipped through the book.  
  
"Oh, shoot, I'm afraid we're booked for tonight. Tell you what, though, you can stay in our guest room. Now, normally I'm not in the habit of bringing perfect strangers home, but you seem like a nice boy, and besides, you're wearing a Chilton uniform. My daughter goes to Chilton, she might know you. Now, I get off work in about 10 minutes, so if you'll just take a seat on that couch…"  
  
Tristan complied. He was a bit confused about this turn of events. About 10 minutes later, the woman bustled out of the kitchen, carrying a large cup of coffee in her hands, and yelling goodbye to someone named… Suzie? Sookie? He didn't quite catch it.  
  
"My car's right here," said the woman, leading him to a green Ford Explorer, with 3rd row seating. Two children's seats were buckled into the middle row. "Now, I don't know what you are going to do for sleepwear. I suppose I could lend you something of Luke's-"Tristan interrupted. "I have a bag in my car. I was going on vacation."  
  
"Great! Lead the way! Well, maybe not, since I'm driving, but at least point the way." Tristan pointed in the direction of Hartford. When they got to his car, he grabbed his bag. Then he sat, deep in thought, for the remainder of the car ride, while the woman sat next to him, prattling away. Finally, Tristan spoke.  
  
"I'm sorry, what's your name?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm Lorelei Danes. What's your name?"  
  
"Tristan Dugray, ma'am.  
  
"Ok, first thing's first. Don't EVER call me ma'am, Madame, Mrs. Danes, or anything stupid like that. Call me Lorelei.  
  
"Ok," answered Tristan, following Lorelei inside the house. He looked around. The house was small and cozy, the kind of home he wished he lived in. He followed Lorelei through the living room into the kitchen.  
  
"This is the guest room," she said, pointing to a small room off of the kitchen. "Here's the bathroom," she pointed to a door across from the guest room. Tristan peeked in. The bathroom had a sink, toilet, and shower stall. Perfect for his needs. He smiled. "Dump your stuff in the guest room, and I'll give you the grand tour. Tristan did so. He then followed Lorelei upstairs.  
  
"This is the master suite, and this is my daughter's bathroom, there's her bedroom, and here's the nursery. Lorelei walked into the nursery, startling a girl of about twenty who sat in a rocking chair, holding a sleeping toddler in her arms.  
  
"Hi, Lisa. How were they today?"  
  
"Hi, Lorelei. They were fine. A bit rambunctious and Emma here woke up from her nap with a cough. I gave her some cough medicine. She just dozed back off about fifteen minutes ago. I didn't want to wake her up."  
  
"That's fine." Lorelei eased the sleeping Emma off of Lisa's lap, and set her in one of the two cribs set up in the bright, cheery room. Emma didn't wake.  
  
Tristan headed into the upstairs bathroom. While he was in there, Lorelei paid Lisa, and walked her out. "We won't need you everyday anymore, since Rory's school is out, but we will call you."  
  
"That's fine, Lorelei. I'll see you later."  
  
"Bye, Lisa."  
  
Tristan listened to this exchange through the open window in the bathroom. He groaned inwardly to himself. 'Rory.' He should have known. The fact that the names were the same was too much of a coincidence. Hadn't Rory once mentioned that she was named after her mother? And her mother had remarried eight years ago, which would account for the different last name. Tristan sighed.  
  
He walked out into the hall and looked at the wooden door with the silver 'R' hanging on it. There was also a small circular bulletin board that looked like a flower. A message was posted on it: "Call Lane". Tristan slowly opened the door. He saw a staircase, and guessed her bedroom was the attic. Giving in to temptation, Tristan crept up the stairs. He found himself in a small, cozy attic bedroom. The walls were painted a bright sky blue. The floor, rather than being carpeted, was covered with a big area rug and a couple of smaller rag rugs. A twin bed was nestled in the corner next to a window. It was covered by a multi-colored quilt. There was a trunk at the foot of the bed. On one side of the room was a gable window with a padded window seat. Pillows were nestled on it, and a lamp was installed in the wall. Bookshelves, filled to capacity, sat on either side of the window seat. On the next wall, he saw a door, partially open. It led into a very small, organized, walk-in closet. Framed photographs and knickknacks covered every available surface, and the room was neat and tidy. The walls were hung with posters- PJ Harvey, Jimmy Eat World, Lifehouse, The Bangles- and more photographs. All the furniture- desk, bed, dresser, bookshelves- was made of a medium-dark wood that matched the floorboards, doors, and stairs. It was so typically Rory. (I am aware that Rory's room is off the kitchen, but this just seemed like the perfect room for Rory.) He smiled and went back downstairs, where he met Lorelei in the living room.  
  
"Hey, Tristan, want some coffee?"  
  
"Sure, I guess." Lorelei looked through a cupboard. She gasped. "We're out of coffee! Oh, well, I guess I'll just have to go to Luke's. Want to come?"  
  
"No, thanks."  
  
"Ok, I'll bring you back some coffee. Feel free to watch TV or do whatever. I'll be back soon. Rory should be home any minute, I'm not sure where she is."  
  
"That's fine, Lorelei. See you later." Lorelei walked out the door, and Tristan turned on the TV.  
  
**************************************************************************** *  
  
While Tristan was making himself comfortable at The Crap Shack, Rory was wandering miserably around a Border's bookstore in Hartford. Dean had broken her heart… again. She sighed and dejectedly got on a bus to go home.  
  
**************************************************************  
  
Tristan had just finished watching a rerun of 'The Fresh Prince' when Rory walked in the door. She was upset; she had cried most of the way home. Her mood was not improved when she walked through the door and spied Tristan sitting on her couch. She blinked. She had to be hallucinating. Tristan grinned widely.  
  
"Hey, Mare."  
  
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10 reviews before I get the next chap up! ( 


	2. A Trip

"Tristan? What the heck are you doing here?" Rory sighed. "This is only a dream. I will wake up and this whole terrible day will have been a nightmare."  
  
Tristan smirked. "'Fraid not, Mary."  
  
Rory screamed in frustration. "MY NAME IS RORY! R-O-R-Y! How hard is that to learn?"  
  
"Very hard, apparently" Tristan replied.  
  
"Yeah, for a person with your limited amount of brain cells" Rory huffed and stomped off to find her mother. "MOM! MOTHER, WHERE-"  
  
"She's not here. She went to Luke's to get coffee." Just then, the door opened and Lorelei stepped in, carrying two extra-large cups of coffee. "Rory! You're home. Where-"  
  
"Give me that" Rory interrupted, grabbing one of the cups and gulping it down.  
  
"Hey!" Tristan protested. "That was my coffee!" But Rory ignored him.  
  
"Mom, what is Tristan doing here?"  
  
Lorelei shrugged. "His car ran outta gas, Gypsy's on vacation, the inn was booked, and so I offered him our guest room for the night."  
  
"Since when do you bring perfect strangers home?" Rory demanded.  
  
"Well, he was wearing a Chilton uniform…"  
  
"Mom! You know what, whatever, I can't take this." Rory stomped up the stairs to her room. She lay down on her bed and thought for a while. She knew what she had to do.  
  
Rory headed down the stairs. The guest room door was closed; she assumed Tristan was in there. She knocked, walked right in without waiting for an invitation, then gasped and blushed. Tristan was standing there, clad only in a pair of boxer shorts.  
  
"I'm sorry; I didn't know you were changing…"  
  
"Rory, Rory, it's OK." Tristan pulled on khakis and a beater. "I was just changing for Friday night dinner."  
  
Rory had forgotten it was Friday. She sighed. "I guess I'd better go change, too. But first, I wanna apologize for acting the way I did. I don't hate you. I hate the fact that you went around telling everyone you were taking me out, but I don't hate YOU. I'm sorry."  
  
"Apology accepted… Rory."  
  
"Rory smiled. Friends?"  
  
"Friends."  
  
"Alright, I'm gonna go change. Be back in a little while."  
  
"Rory, wait." Rory turned. "What is it, Tris?"  
  
"What… happened today? You came in with your face all tear-streaked, and when I left school, you were lip-locking with Bag-Boy and happy as a clam. I just wanna make sure you're ok."  
  
Rory was touched at his concern. She sighed. "I guess I'll tell you."  
  
~Flashback~  
  
"I love you, you idiot!" Rory grabbed Dean and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss. At first Dean reciprocated, but he pulled away after a few minutes.  
  
"Listen, Rory, I don't think this is such a good idea." Rory looked at him, stunned. "Why not?"  
  
"Rory…" Dean sighed, raked a hand through his floppy brown hair. "I've moved on."  
  
"Moved on?"  
  
"I've found someone else."  
  
"Oh…" Rory said, in a small voice. "Well, congratulations then. I hope you two will be very happy. Started to walk away.  
  
"Rory-"Rory turned back. "What?"  
  
"Do you think we can still be friends?"  
  
"Not now, Dean. Maybe someday, but right now it hurts too much to be around you. Have a good time with your new girlfriend." And with that, Rory walked away.  
  
~End flashback~  
  
"Wow, Ror. I'm sorry." Rory managed a small smile. "Yeah, well, I don't think I am. He and I never really worked as a couple. Besides, I think I like someone else, too.  
  
"Oh" Tristan's spirits sank. He had been so happy when he found out Rory and Bag-Boy weren't really together. But if she liked someone else-  
  
Rory looked at her watch. "Yipes, now I really do have to go change. Be right back!"  
  
  
  
Rory went to her room. A few minutes later, she came back downstairs. She was wearing a red sundress that flattered her complexion, as well as a pair of strappy white sandals. She looked beautiful. Tristan had pulled a blue Ralph Lauren polo shirt over his beater, and put on socks and loafers. Rory thought about how handsome he looked. Then, she gave herself a mental slap. "Friends, you're just friends, Rory. FRIENDS!" Rory thought to herself.  
  
"MOM! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!" Rory yelled up the stairs.  
  
Lorelei reluctantly came out of her room, dressed in a black skirt and a long-sleeve purple blouse. "Do we have to go?" she whined.  
  
"Yes" Rory answered firmly. "You do want me to get into Harvard, don't you?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that part. Let's go," said Lorelei, grabbing Emma and Leigh from their playpen and making sure that the diaper bag was fully stocked. On the way out the door, she grumbled (as she did every week) about how unfair it was that Luke got to miss these things because he had to work.  
  
After the dinner, they had a "parody" movie night. They started with Scary Movie, moved on to Scary Movie 2, and finished with Not Another Teen Movie. By the end of the night Tristan was exhausted, but he had to admit he'd had fun.  
  
The next day; Rory, Lorelei and Tristan dragged themselves out of bed around 10:30. They each showered and dressed, and headed to Luke's for breakfast.  
  
"Lukey..."  
  
"No coffee, Lorelei."  
  
Lorelei pouted. "I'll be your best friend!"  
  
"You already are."  
  
"Ok, how about this?" Lorelei whispered in Luke's ear. Luke blushed and poured his wife a huge cup of coffee. Rory shook her head.  
  
"I don't even wanna know…"  
  
"You probably don't" Lorelei agreed, plopping down at the table with Tristan and her daughter. The twins were napping in their double stroller. Luke came over, bearing four plates of pancakes and bacon on a tray, along with several cups of coffee and one cup of tomato juice for himself. He sat down next to Lorelei.  
  
"So, what are you guys doing?" he asked.  
  
"Well," replied Lorelei, "I was just about to ask Tristan where he's going, exactly.  
  
"My parents have a summer home in Mackinac Island, in upstate Michigan. "I was just gonna head up there for a while, enjoy some peace and quiet."  
  
"Wow. That sounds fun. Too bad I can't just up and leave like you can." Lorelei sighed enviously. Then, she got an idea. She and Luke had been planning to take a romantic vacation, but she didn't want to leave Rory alone, especially not with the twins. She assumed there would be competent adults on Mackinac, and (much as she hated to do this) she could take the twins to Emily and Richard's house.  
  
"Rory?"  
  
"Yeah, Mom?"  
  
"How would you like to take a vacation?"  
  
A couple hours later, it was all planned out. Lorelei had called Emily and Richard on her cell, and they said they would be happy to take care of little Leigh and Emma for a couple weeks. Rory and Tristan were going to leave the next morning, bright and early, for Mackinac. Tristan decided they would take the scenic route, and he could show Rory a bit of the country. After all, they had the entire summer. It was only May 11, and they had until September 2nd. (If only everyone's summer vaycays could be that long… sigh). Tristan had assured Lorelei that the servants on the island were more than competent, and, in any case, Rory and Tristan were 16 and perfectly able to take care of themselves. Rory wasn't sure about spending an entire summer with Tristan, but it was either this or hang around Star's Hollow by herself for the entire summer. Lane, as it happened, was being shipped off to Korea the next week so she could visit family, and the few friends she had made at Chilton all had glamorous summer plans, as well.  
  
Plans in mind, everyone headed off to bed.  
  
**************************************************************************8  
  
The next day, Luke drove Rory, Tristan, their bags, and a canister of gas to where Tristan's car was parked. To everyone's relief, the car had not been broken into or stolen. Rory and Tristan loaded their stuff into the SUV and started off, excited for their long vacation. 


	3. A Concert and some Rollercoasters

~Recap~  
  
With Lorelei's permission, of course, Rory and Tristan have taken to the open road on the way to Mackinac Island…  
  
Around 12, Rory and Tristan decided they were hungry, so they stopped at a Cracker Barrel (it's a restaurant that makes THE BEST breakfasts ever), and got some lunch. Rory remarked at the excellence of the coffee, and ordered three cups for the road. They made almost no more stops that day, and around 6, they reached the town of Sandusky, Ohio. They decided to stop for dinner and check in at a hotel. They stopped at a pizzeria, and then drove to a Holiday Inn to stop for the night.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, back in Stars Hollow, Lorelei and Luke were moping around. "I miss Rory" whined Lorelei. "I do, too" replied Luke. "At least when we go on vacation we won't miss her as much."  
  
"Yeah." Lorelei's expression changed. "Thank you SO MUCH for that, by the way. I can't believe you surprised me with plane tickets to Hawaii! How are we affording this?  
  
Luke smiled. "I've been saving up forever, so you'd better be happy, missy! Now, come on," he pulled his wife close "let's go to bed."  
  
"Ok! Race you to the bedroom!" And Lorelei took off, Luke trailing right on her heels.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
Rory stretched, and looked around the unfamiliar room. At first, she couldn't place where she was, but then she remembered.  
  
"Oh yeah. Road trip, Mackinac Island… Tristan" Rory thought to herself. She wondered if Tristan was up yet. She was about to get up and go see when her cell phone, which she had plugged in next to the bed, rang. She reached over and answered it. "Hello?"  
  
"Hey sweetie!  
  
"Hi Mom!"  
  
"How's the trip so far?  
  
"Wonderful. We're in Ohio right now, some town called Sandusky."  
  
"Sounds great. I was just calling to say hi. I miss you."  
  
"I miss you too, Mom. I gotta get dressed though, I need coffee and I'm dying of hunger."  
  
"Well, I can't deprive my favorite daughter of her coffee now, can I? I love you sweetie, call me later."  
  
"I will Mom, I promise. I love you too."  
  
After a strict warning from Lorelei to "not do anything that she WOULD do", Rory unplugged the phone and knocked on the door separating her room from Tristan's.  
  
"Come in!"  
  
Rory entered the room. "I was just wondering what's up today?"  
  
"Well, we could keep driving, but I have a better idea. You like roller  
  
Coasters?"  
  
Rory brightened. "I love them!"  
  
"Good. There's a 'coaster park about 5 minutes away. It's supposed to have some of the best roller coasters in the world. There's also a water park. It's called Cedar Point." (I guess this is where the author puts in that she does not own Cedar Point or any of its rides, though she wishes she did…)  
  
"That sounds great. I'm gonna go get dressed so we can get breakfast."  
  
"Hurry up, I'm starved."  
  
About half an hour later, Rory and Tristan locked up their belongings and headed out. After looking at a brochure for the park, they had decided to purchase a 2-day pass. That day, they would go on the coasters. The next day, since they were forecasting 90 degree weather, they would go to the water park.  
  
The two went to McDonald's for a quick breakfast, and then headed to the park. They got their two day passes and looked around. There was almost no one there. "What do you want to go on first?" asked Rory.  
  
"What about that?" Tristan pointed to a ride called "The Demon Drop". "We can start off tame and work our way up."  
  
Rory agreed to this plan, and the two set off for The Demon Drop.  
  
**************************************************  
  
Several hours later, both teens were laughing and having a great time. "What about that ride?" Rory pointed her Cookie Dough ice cream cone toward a wooden roller coaster. "The Gemini? Sounds good to me," Tristan agreed.  
  
Seeing the layout of the ride, Tristan said "I bet you 20 bucks that red car beats blue."  
  
"You're on!" Rory agreed, climbing eagerly into the front seat of the blue car. Tristan climbed into the red car, and they were off. (For those who don't know, the track for the blue cars and the track for the red cars are side-by-side, and both cars start at the same time, so you can "race" around the coaster.)  
  
"Come on, blue! Faster!" Rory cheered her car on.  
  
"Red, red, come on red!" chanted Tristan.  
  
In the end, the blue car won by an inch, and Tristan grudgingly handed Rory $20.  
  
"Thank you" said Rory, snatching the money up.  
  
Next, they went on the Millennium Force, then the Raptor. They had spent the entire day at the park, and had a great time. The next day they went to the water park, and the day after that, they got back on the road. They dipped down into Tennessee, and got a room in Nashville for the night. Rory sighed. "This trip has been so much fun so far!"  
  
"Glad you think so" Tristan replied warmly. He yawned and climbed into his bed in the room they were sharing. They had only been able to get one room, but at least it had two beds.  
  
"So, what's the plan?" Rory called from the bathroom, where she was putting on her PJ's.  
  
"I was thinking we stay here for a couple of days, swing through Kentucky, stop in Louisville for a couple of days, and then head to Toledo, Ohio. There's supposed to be a really fun museum there.  
  
"Sounds like a plan." Rory came out of the bathroom, dressed in cotton PJ pants with little puppies on them, and a white tank top. She climbed into bed, and turned off the light. Rory fell asleep almost immediately, but Tristan couldn't sleep. He kept thinking of Rory, lying only a few feet away, wearing that skimpy little tank top and those white cotton pants. He nearly groaned aloud. He wanted to touch her, to hold her in his arms while she slept. He sighed, knowing that this was NOT going to be a restful night.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Lorelei awoke to the smell of French toast. "Mmmmmm… breakfast" she thought, just as Luke walked in, carrying a tray. On it, Lorelei saw French toast, bacon, orange juice, coffee (of course), and hash browns. Her stomach growled in anticipation.  
  
"What's this for?" she asked her husband.  
  
"Can't a man spoil his wife? It's fun. Besides, we haven't had this much time alone since the twins were born, and I intend to take advantage of it."  
  
The twins had been dropped off at their grandparents the previous evening, and Lorelei missed them already. The next day, the couple was leaving on their trip to Hawaii. Lorelei couldn't wait. Two whole weeks of fun, sun, and surf.  
  
"Well, thank you," replied Lorelei. She gave Luke a long, full kiss on the lips to thank him. Luke groaned, and quickly put the cover over their food so it would stay warm. Then, he lost himself in his wife's arms.  
  
**************************************************************  
  
Rory was looking in awe at The Grand Ole Oprey. She quickly snapped a picture of Tristan standing in front of the building. She couldn't wait to go inside. Tristan had surprised her with a pair of tickets to Lifehouse, Michelle Branch, and The Calling for that night, and that's where they were playing. (I highly doubt that the GOO hosts concerts like that, seeing as how when they came to my town they played a local club, but whatever.) However, they needed to get something to eat first.  
  
  
  
A few hours later, with full stomachs, the two teenagers headed into the theater for the concert. Rory was very excited. She had only been to two or three concerts in her life, and Lifehouse was one of her currant favorite groups. Michelle Branch, also, was a great singer. She had never even heard of The Calling, but she hoped they were good. She jumped up and down excitedly when Tristan showed her to their front-row seats.  
  
"Tristan! How did you get these?"  
  
"A magician never reveals his secrets, Mary."  
  
Rory ignored the gibe, for almost as soon as they sat down, The Calling appeared onstage. As soon as they began singing their first song, Rory realized she HAD heard them before. She began singing along with the music.  
  
"If I could, than I would, I'll go wherever you will go…" Tristan smiled at Rory. She looked beautiful, wearing low-rise jeans and a blue tank top that brought out the blue in her eyes. She bopped her head to the music, her shiny brown hair flying around. Soon, the band finished their set, and exited the stage. Rory couldn't wait to see Michelle Branch, who was the next singer. Half an hour later, the singer took the stage and launched into her first song.  
  
Can't you see?  
  
There's a feeling that's come over me  
  
Close my eyes  
  
You're the only one that leaves me completely breathless  
  
No need to wonder why  
  
Sometimes a gift like this you can't deny  
  
'Cause I wanted to fly, so you gave me your wings  
  
And time held its breath so I could see, yeah  
  
And you set me free  
  
There's a will  
  
There's a way  
  
Sometimes words just can't explain  
  
This is real  
  
I'm afraid  
  
I guess this time there's just no hiding, fighting  
  
You make me restless  
  
You're in my heart  
  
The only light that shines there in the dark  
  
'Cause I wanted to fly, so you gave me your wings  
  
And time held its breath so I could see, yeah  
  
And you set me free  
  
When I was alone  
  
You came around  
  
When I was down  
  
You pulled me through  
  
And there's nothing that I wouldn't do for you  
  
'Cause I wanted to fly, so you gave me your wings  
  
And time held its breath so I could see, yeah  
  
And you set me free  
  
Tristan just listened to the music. Michelle had an amazing voice. He would definitely have to remember to pick up this CD.  
  
By the time Lifehouse took the stage, Rory was sweaty, hoarse, and more hyper then ever. She sighed with happiness. This was the best concert she had ever been to, even better then the Bangles concert she had gone to with her mother, Sookie, and Paris and Co. Lifehouse played almost their entire CD, plus a song that they had recorded for the movie "Shrek". Rory made a mental note to download that song onto her computer when she got home. After the concert, it was almost 1 am. Tristan wanted nothing more then to go to bed, but Rory hadn't had any coffee for hours, so she insisted on stopping at some diner that was open 24 hours. Then, finally, they went back to their hotel for some sleep.  
  
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You know the drill. Just click the little blue button… 


	4. The Chilton Diaries

Sorry this chapter's so short; it's just kind of a filler chapter. I'll post it with the 3rd chapter though, wouldn't wanna give you all inadequate updates! I hate it when people do that…  
  
~Rory's Private Journal  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
Whew! It's been a while since I've written in here. So much has happened in the past ten days… where to start?  
  
First off, school's out for the summer! I am finally free of Chilton, aka HELL, for the next three months! The last day of school, there was an 'incident'. Tristan asked me out on a date, and I said no, but he told everyone we were going out anyway. I was pissed, of course. Then, Dean drives up as the bell rings and sees me talking with Tristan. He told me I looked pretty happy with my "boyfriend", and I said that he wasn't my boyfriend, I hated him. The look on Tristan's face just killed me. Then, I told Dean to come back, and I told him I loved him. We kissed for a few minutes, but then Dean told me he'd moved on and had found someone else. The weird thing is; I wasn't really as upset as I should have been. I was upset; sure, that Dean could move on that quickly. I mean, we just broke up 2 months ago! But I wasn't really upset that we couldn't go out anymore. I think I just wanted to get back together with him because he was my first boyfriend, and he represented safety and security.  
  
I went to Border's for a while after that, and then I went home. Who should be sitting on my couch but Tristan Dugray? I went to my room for awhile to cool off, but then, I apologized for saying I hated him, and he apologized for acting like a jackass. So, now we're friends-sort of. I think I want to be something more. I get this… feeling whenever he's around me, which is often, now that we are on this trip.  
  
That's right, trip. It was so weird, so… rash. In other words, so unlike me. It turns out that Tristan was at my house because his car had run out of gas, and Gypsy was on vacation. His car broke down about half a mile from the Independence. He told Mom he had an overnight bag, and Mom asked where he was going, and he said his parent's summer home in Mackinac Island. Mom got this gleam in her eye and asked if I would like to go. I think she and Luke just wanted some time alone, or maybe they wanted to take a romantic vacation, or something. So I hastily packed, and withdrew a thousand dollars from the college account Grandma and Grandpa had set up for me (there was more than enough in there, and I'll probably get a few scholarships, anyway), and we were on our way. First we went to Ohio, and we went to this Roller coaster Park called Cedar Point. It had about 15 coasters, and they were so much fun! Anyway, so then we went to Nashville, Tennessee, and Tristan got us FRONT ROW tickets to see Lifehouse, Michelle Branch, and The Calling at the Grand Ole Oprey! It was so much fun! Anyway, it's past 1 in the morning, and I'm tired.  
  
~Rory  
  
P.S.: I just got a call from Mom: she and Luke are going to Hawaii! I guess my trip assumption really was correct. (  
  
****The online journal of Tristan Dugray: PLEASE KEEP OUT!****  
  
Dear Journal,  
  
God, my life had turned upside down these past few days. Somehow, I ended up on a "Road Trip" with Rory Gilmore, the love of my life. She's sitting just a few feet away from me now, writing in a notebook. God, she looks beautiful. Tonight I surprised her with tickets to see Lifehouse at the Grand Ole Oprey. She acted like she'd never been to a concert before. She was so cute, and innocent. Right now she's wearing a skimpy little tank top and pants with little puppy dogs on them. I'm itching to remove those pants. Ok, I'm gonna go take a cold shower or something now.  
  
Tristan. 


	5. Ohio, Detroit, and getting to the island

Rory got out of the car and stretched her legs. After a few hours drive from Louisville, KY; the teens were now in Toledo, Ohio. In Louisville, they had gone to Churchill Downs and watched a few horse races, and they had gone spelunking in some caves. Now, in Toledo, they were at "The Center of Science and Industry", or "COSI". Tristan had promised Rory that this was the best science museum she would ever go to. Rory hoped he was right. The teens headed inside, and the first thing Rory saw was a tightrope with a unicycle attached. This made her think that Tristan might just be right, after all. She pointed to it. "I wanna go on that".  
  
"So do I" agreed Tristan, and the teenagers got in line. After that, they went on the bike that went around in a circle. This ride tested your 'G- Force', and was somewhat akin to the carnival ride 'Ring of Fire'. Then, Rory found the anti-gravity room.  
  
"Let's go in here" Rory pulled Tristan in.  
  
The two ran around on the slanted floor for a few minutes, until they got bored. After that, they headed into the mock roller coaster. It was kind of like the Back to the Future ride at Universal Studios, except different concept. Then they went into the sports section, where you could test your pitch speed, see how fast you could run, and lots of other fun stuff. They fooled around at the museum for a few hours, until suddenly Tristan realized it was closing time.  
  
"We'd better get out of here" he told his companion.  
  
They left the museum and drove to a hotel. They grabbed some dinner at a Coney Island, and then went to the hotel and slept. It had been a long day.  
  
*******************************************************  
  
The next day, a major storm blew through the town. Not wanting to drive in it, Rory and Tristan waited until late afternoon before getting on the road. They drove for a few hours, getting into Michigan, and finally stopping to eat at about 9:00.  
  
"Let's eat there" Rory pointed to a Thai food restaurant inside a small strip mall.  
  
"Sounds good" replied Tristan, pulling into the lot.  
  
The teens each enjoyed some Sweet n Sour Chicken, and then Rory yawned. "Let's stop for the night. There's a hotel right there" she said, pointing across the street to a Courtyard Marriott. There was also a coffee shop next to the Thai place, but it was unfortunately closed for the night. So, Rory and Tristan checked into a room at the hotel.  
  
"Sorry, Mary, I could only get a single."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"The Detroit Electronic Music Festival's in town. The hotels are booked up. I only got this one because of a last minute cancellation. I couldn't even get any rollaway beds!"  
  
The teens went up to the room. Tristan sighed, knowing he wasn't going to sleep much that night. He got dressed for bed, putting on heavy sweats and a wife beater. He knew he would be hot as hell, but it was better then having Rory feel… never mind.  
  
Rory, oblivious to Tristan's feelings, put on some blue PJ shorts and a long, but tight, T-shirt. 'Better then that damn tank top' he thought to himself, and climbed into the bed alongside Rory. Neither one of them got much sleep that night.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
The next day, Rory and Tristan showered and dressed and then stumbled, yawning, to the aforementioned coffee shop. They each got an extra-large coffee, Rory's with an added shot of espresso, and sighed.  
  
"Wanna check this thing out, Mary?" Tristan asked, pointing to a picture of people dancing at the DEMF. "It's totally free, and we can always leave if we don't like it."  
  
"Sure, I guess" answered Rory. They got their coffees to go and left, deciding not to check out of the room. They didn't wanna risk losing it if they decided to stay all day for the DEMF.  
  
**************************************************************************** ***************  
  
Lorelei sighed in happiness. She and Luke had just landed in Hawaii, after a VERY long flight, and it looked beautiful. She wanted to go and do everything at once, but first, they had to check in their hotel.  
  
After they grabbed their bags, Luke hailed a cab to take them to their hotel. They reached their room, which was on the tenth floor. It had a balcony, a king-sized bed, and a great view.  
  
"It's gorgeous" said Lorelei. "C'mon, let's go swimming."  
  
She and Luke began rooting around for their bathing suites, clothing flying all over the room. They decided they would pick it all up later, and ran down to the beach like excited 8 year-olds.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
"This is great!" said Tristan, bobbing his head to the beat of the techno.  
  
"Yeah. Not too crowded, weather's perfect…" agreed Rory.  
  
The two teens walked around Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit, where the festival was being held. Tristan made sure to stick close to Rory, as this was not the best area in the world, and he didn't want either of them to get caught alone. Rory insisted on getting ice cream cones from the Stroh's Ice Cream stand. She and Tristan licked their cones and strolled along the Detroit River, just listening to the music.  
  
"I'm glad you talked me into coming" Rory commented. "This trip has been so much fun so far!"  
  
"And we haven't even reached our main destination yet. Mackinac Island is the best! They don't allow cars, so it's very quiet and peaceful. The whole island is just 8 miles around, and yet there's so much to see and do. We keep bikes at the house, and we can ride horses and go swimming in Lake Superior, or in the pool at the Grand when the lake's too cold."  
  
"It sounds wonderful" said Rory. "I can't wait to get there. How come your parents never go there anymore?"  
  
"They just got some overpriced house in France" said Tristan, bitterly, "this past year. That's where they want to vacation this year, fine. I'm glad it's just gonna be us."  
  
"Do you have friends up there?" Rory asked.  
  
"Yeah, several. My fam used to use this house at least once a year. We didn't go last year at all, though. My best friend up there is Matt, and his twin sister, Sarah, is really nice. Then there's Sarah D. We just call her Slut… it's a long story" he said, at Rory's questioning look. "My other friends up there… Amanda, Mony, Danni, Jeff..."  
  
"Wow. I can't wait to meet them all."  
  
"I'm sure they will all love you."  
  
"I hope so." Just then, Tristan's cell phone rang.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hi, Mom."  
  
"No, I won't be joining you in France."  
  
"Rory Gilmore."  
  
"Yes, Mom, Richard's granddaughter."  
  
"Yes, I'm sure. Bye, Mom."  
  
Tristan snapped the phone closed and sighed. "She wants me to join the family in France. No, I'm not going," he said at Rory's surprised and alarmed look."  
  
"That's good, because I don't have a passport," Rory smiled at Tristan. Tristan grinned. "Come on, this is getting boring."  
  
Tristan and Rory began to walk. They entered Greektown and decided to get some dinner.  
  
"Here" Rory decided, pulling Tristan into a restaurant called Pegasus.  
  
They each ordered lamb for their meal and flaming cheese as an appetizer. Rory got a Pepsi, and Tristan, a Mountain Dew. "Do the Dew" he said, lifting his glass to toast her.  
  
"To friendship"  
  
"To friendship" Rory echoed as they their glasses clinked together 'But I want to be so much more' she thought to herself longingly.  
  
The teens ate their food, and then groaned.  
  
"I can't eat another bite" Rory said. Her tune changed, however, when she spotted the La Astoria Pastry Shoppe.  
  
"Let's go in here!" she exclaimed to Tristan.  
  
"I thought you were full, Mary" he looked at her teasingly.  
  
"Shut up," Rory pouted. "There's always room for chocolate!"  
  
Once inside, Rory looked around everything in awe. "Pick whatever you want. I'm paying," said Tristan. "Well, if you're paying…" answered Rory.  
  
"I'll have a pound of those truffles, and one of those Rum truffles, and two chocolate mice, five chocolate covered strawberries, a pumpkin muffin, two slices of triple chocolate torte, and strawberry shortcake. Oh, and how about three scoops of coffee ice cream, in a cone."  
  
The store clerk chuckled at Tristan. "Your girlfriend has quite an appetite."  
  
"She's not-"but the clerk wasn't paying any attention, he was too busy getting together Rory's purchases.  
  
"That'll be $115.75." Tristan staggered at the price. Oh well, he could afford it.  
  
Once the candy was all wrapped up and Rory was happily licking her coffee ice cream cone, the two decided they had better head back to the hotel. They walked to the structure they had parked in, and drove back to the suburbs.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Lorelei came out of the bathroom. This was the third morning in a row that she had thrown up. She had a sneaking suspicion she knew what was wrong with her. "Honey?" Luke's voice entered her ear. "You OK?"  
  
"I'm fine Lukey" she sighed. "I think I'll go see a doctor today."  
  
"I think that would be best" Luke agreed.  
  
"I'll go right now. Think you can entertain yourself for a couple of hours?"  
  
"I'll be fine. You go ahead. I can just take a swim or something."  
  
"Ok, then I'm leaving soon. First I'm gonna shower."  
  
"Don't you want breakfast?"  
  
Lorelei grimaced. "I'm not hungry. Thank you anyway."  
  
"Ok, sweetie, if you're sure." Luke put his bathing suit on. He grabbed a towel and headed down to the pool, planning to eat at the little food stand down there. A few minutes afterward, Lorelei grabbed her purse and headed out the door on her way to the doctor's office.  
  
************************************************************  
  
Rory stirred and opened her eyes. "Where are we?"  
  
"Just driving onto the Mackinac Bridge" Tristan smiled. "This is what separates the Lower Peninsula from the Upper.  
  
"I know that!" Rory snapped. "I'm not a complete fool."  
  
Tristan held up his hands. "Never said you were, Mary, never said you were."  
  
"Sorry. I guess I didn't get enough coffee today."  
  
"Well, I happen to know it's been at least four hours since your last fix. We can stop as soon as we get across the bridge."  
  
"Thanks." Rory smiled gratefully. Tristan drove across the Mackinac Bridge, which spanned five miles across Lake Huron. The trip across, made in heavy traffic, took about half an hour. As soon as they were across, Tristan pulled into the parking lot of a Big Boy and dragged Rory inside.  
  
"Two?" the waitress snapped her gum and led Rory and Tristan to a booth.  
  
"We'll have three coffees and a chocolate milkshake to start with" Tristan ordered.  
  
"Wanna split one of those?" Rory asked, pointing to a picture on the dessert menu.  
  
"Sure" Tristan agreed. When the waitress came back, he ordered a Fudge Brownie Sundae with two spoons. He and Rory soon dug into the treat.  
  
"So, we're almost there?" Rory asked.  
  
"Yep. Just have to take the ferry from Mackinac City, which is about 15 minutes from here, to Mackinac Island.  
  
"Sounds good." The two finished their food and left.  
  
On the ferry, Rory had her first glimpse of Mackinac Island.  
  
"It's beautiful, isn't it Rory?"  
  
"Yeah, it is." Rory smiled at Tristan. "I can't wait to get there."  
  
After a few more minutes, the ferry docked and Rory and Tristan collected their bags.  
  
"How are we gonna get all this stuff to the house?" Rory asked, thinking of the lack of cars on the island.  
  
"Easy." Tristan hailed a horse-drawn 'taxi' and had a porter load their luggage into it. A few minutes later, Rory had her first glimpse of Tristan's house on Mackinac Island. 


	6. Arrival on the island and meeting Trista...

Hehe. I made 50 reviews!!! (Bounces around like a deranged bunny on Speed (kind of like when Sarah arrived, right Mona?).) Anyway, thanks to all my loyal reviewers (you know who u are!) and here's the next chapter for ya! Oh, and I realized AFTER I posted Chap. 5 that I screwed up with the location of COSI. It's in Columbus, not Toledo. Sorry!  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
The house was a huge, yellow Victorian. There was a wraparound porch, and Rory could see turrets and lots of bay windows. It was perched on a bluff, with the back of the house overlooking Lake Superior. There were steps in the back leading down to the beach. Lights were on to keep out the deepening twilight. The whole scene was beautiful, and Rory sighed in delight. Tristan's voice broke into her thoughts.  
  
"The bugs are getting bad. Come on, I'll show you around."  
  
Rory obediently followed Tristan up the front steps and through the front door into the house. In the entryway a man hurried to greet them.  
  
"Hello, Master Tristan."  
  
"Hi, William. Will, this is Rory Gilmore."  
  
"Hello Miss Gilmore. It's a pleasure to meet you."  
  
"Nice to meet you, too" answered Rory.  
  
"Rory, this is William. He's our main handyman/housekeeper. His wife, Rose, is our cook, and helps with the housework. If you need anything, you can just ask one of them." Just then, a plump, motherly-looking woman hurried out of what Rory assumed to be the kitchen.  
  
"I thought I heard voices. Tristan! I'm so glad you've arrived safely. And who is this pretty young thing?"  
  
"This is Rory Gilmore" Tristan answered while Rory blushed at the compliment. Tristan yawned, and Rory followed suit. Rose noticed.  
  
"Why don't you go on up to bed?" she suggested. "Tristan, we've put Rory in the green room. Why don't you show her to it?"  
  
Tristan agreed. William and Rose picked up the bags and followed Rory and Tristan upstairs. William took Tristan's bags to what was obviously his room. Rory caught a fleeting glimpse of dark wood furniture and a deer head on the wall. A few steps down the hall, they got to Rory's room, right next to Tristan's.  
  
"This is beautiful!" Rory exclaimed. It was a little round tower room, with pale green walls and white carpeting. A full-sized canopy bed with green canopy and tied-back curtains stood against one wall. There was a white dresser, desk, and armoire. The armoire had only one hollow cavity, with a rod for dresses and skirts and such to hang on. Three long shelves were mounted on the wall next to the bed, perfect for Rory's books. A long padded seat curved underneath the windows. A door led into what Rory could see was a small bathroom. Rory went in. Tiled in green and white, and painted the same shade as the bedroom walls, the bathroom held simply a toilet, a shower, and a small sink and counter. Rory smiled and came back out into the bedroom. She said goodnight to Rose, Tristan, and William, and then unpacked and went to bed.  
  
***************************************************************  
  
"Thank you, Doctor Phillips." Lorelei was so excited she couldn't stand it. She couldn't wait to tell Luke her news!  
  
"You're very welcome, Mrs. Danes."  
  
"Lorelei, please."  
  
"Ok, Lorelei" the doctor agreed. "I assume you have a doctor in Connecticut?"  
  
"Yes, Doctor Collins." Lorelei answered. Doctor Phillips' face changed.  
  
"Not Doctor Jackie Collins?"  
  
"That's her name, yes."  
  
"Red hair, green eyes, freckles, about yay high?" The doctor put his hand up to Lorelei's chin.  
  
"That's her."  
  
"Well! I went to Med School with Ms. Jackie Collins. Tell her David Phillips says hi, will you?"  
  
"Of course." Lorelei smiled at the doc.  
  
"Thank you. In the meantime, I'll fax this stuff right over to her," the doctor indicated Lorelei's chart, "and you make an appointment with her as soon as you get home, ok?"  
  
"Will do. Thank you again, doctor." Lorelei left the doctor's office, grinning widely.  
  
***************************************************************  
  
Rory got up and stretched luxuriously. The clock on the bedside table said 9:56 am. She had unpacked all of her things last night, and she felt right at home in the pretty little room. Rory showered and dressed in jean shorts and a purple t-shirt, then wandered down to the kitchen for some coffee.  
  
She found Rose making something. It smelled wonderful. "Good morning, Rose. What are you making?"  
  
"Hello Miss Gilmore, dear. Just some freshly baked bread. You look well- rested."  
  
"It's Rory, and I slept wonderfully, thank you. May I please have some coffee?"  
  
"Of course, dear."  
  
"Thank you. Is Tristan up yet?" Rory sat down at the kitchen table.  
  
"No, he rarely gets up before 10:15 during the summertime." Rory was surprised. She never would have taken Tristan to be such a late sleeper. Just then, Tristan stumbled into the kitchen in a white Planet Hollywood Orlando shirt and jeans, yawning.  
  
"Coffee?"  
  
"It's brewing now. What would you two like for breakfast?"  
  
"Do you have any Pop Tarts?" Rory asked hopefully. She was homesick, and thought that Pop-Tarts might make her miss her mother a little less.  
  
"I'm afraid not. I can pick some up for you later, if you want."  
  
"That's fine. Thank you, Rose."  
  
"I'll have chocolate-chip pancakes" said Tristan.  
  
"Me, too" said Rory, as her stomach growled.  
  
"Coming right up!" Rose said cheerfully, pouring the coffee.  
  
Tristan and Rory ate their breakfast and discussed their plans for the day.  
  
"We should go find Matt and everyone. I want to say hi."  
  
"Ok," said Rory, putting the last bite of her pancakes into her mouth. She pushed back her chair, and went up to her room to put on her shoes, white flip-flops with little flowers beaded onto them.  
  
"I'm ready."  
  
"Let's go, then. Matt's house is right next door." Tristan walked out of the sliding doors that led from the kitchen to the back deck. He grinned as he spotted most of his friends having a little pre-breakfast volleyball game on the beach.  
  
"Come on, I'll introduce you." Tristan went down the steps leading from the top of the bluff to the beach.  
  
"Boo," said Tristan as he walked up.  
  
"Hey, man! How've ya been?"  
  
"Not bad, not bad. Guys, this is Rory Gilmore. Rory, this is Matt, Sarah N, aka Lil Washu, Sarah D, and Amanda."  
  
Matt grinned. He was tall and good-looking, with blonde hair and brown eyes. His twin sister, Sarah aka Lil Washu, looked exactly like him. Both teens were tall and lean. Sarah D was about Rory's height, with a gorgeous pale face, dark blue eyes, and dark, thick brown hair down to her shoulders. Amanda, also, had brown hair, but hers was fine, thin, and long; almost down to her waist.  
  
Everyone said their hellos, nice to meet yous, etc.  
  
"So, anyone wanna explore the island with Rory and me?"  
  
Matt grimaced. "Can we eat breakfast and change first? 'Cause I'm starving."  
  
"Sure. Meet you down here in an hour?"  
  
Everyone agreed to this plan, and Rory and Tristan sat on the beach and talked as they waited for the rest of the teens to appear. Their chat was interrupted by the arrival of three more teens.  
  
"Tristan! I was wondering when the hell you were gonna come back!"  
  
"Hey, Jeff. Nice to see you too, man!" Tristan grinned at him. "This is my friend Rory. Rory, this is Jeff, Danni, and… I don't know you" he said, looking in puzzlement at the third teen.  
  
"Sorry" Jeff grinned. "This is my girlfriend, Paula. She moved here from Japan last summer. Jeff was a tall boy with dirty blonde hair. He wore jeans and a T-Shirt that said 'Mackinac Island High School' on it. (A.N: I don't know if the island has a high school, and if it does, I don't know what it's called. So just go with me on this people!) His girlfriend, Paula, was petite and thin, with dark hair that she'd streaked with red. She had brown eyes, and wore glasses. She wore really baggy jeans, red flip- flop sandals, and a black T-shirt that showed a Japanese girl and the words 'Confucius Says: Sexy girl get more guys'. Danni was thin and medium height. She wore denim shorts and a ¾ sleeve shirt with a picture of a tiger on it, along with black sandals.  
  
Just then, Matt, Sarah, Sarah, and Amanda walked onto the beach. "Ready to go explore?" Matt asked. "You know it, man" answered Tristan. And so the teens set off.  
  
  
  
"So Paula," Rory began, as they climbed the steps to Fort Mackinac, how long have you lived in Japan? Forgive me, but your accent is distinctly American, and you LOOK American…  
  
"It's no problem. My dad worked for Volkswagen for a number of years. He got transferred to Japan five years ago. He recently got transferred back to Detroit, where we're originally from, but he quit his job. He's currently working on a book, and my mom's teaching at the elementary school." Paula sighed. "I really miss Japan, though. I mean, it was crowded as hell, and there was like zero living space, but it was just so much fun. I'm gonna go back there as soon as I'm done with school. I wanna be a cartoonist for an anime- that's Japanese Animation" she added, when Rory shot her a confused look.  
  
"Wow. That must be hard, having to move so much."  
  
"I'm not too crazy about it" Paula admitted. "But what can ya do, right?"  
  
"Hey Rory!" Sarah, Washu, Danni, and Amanda suddenly accosted Rory and Paula. Paula went to go catch up with Jeff, and the four girls fell into step beside her.  
  
"So," Sarah said enviously, "I see you've won the heart of Tristan Dugray."  
  
"I haven't, though" answered Rory, confused.  
  
"Yes you have honey, it's written all over his face!"  
  
"Yeah," Rory laughed. "I wish!"  
  
The four girls looked at each other. "She's in denial," whispered Washu. "Totally," said Danni. Just then, Amanda waved to someone standing by the cannon.  
  
"Mona!"  
  
"Hey guys!" Mona walked over. She was a pretty dark-skinned girl, with black hair and brown eyes so dark they were almost black. She wore flowered jeans and a purple tank, with natural colored wedge sandals on her feet. "Guess what! Charlie's comin to visit!"  
  
"Charlie? Who's Charlie?" Tristan came walking up to the girls. "Hey, Mona, how've you been?"  
  
"Hi, Tristan. Can't complain. Charlie's my boyfriend… I met him when I went to Boston with my parents back in February."  
  
"That's nice. Congrats, Mony Pony" Tristan used the affectionate nickname he had come up with when he was younger.  
  
"Thanks. Charlie'll be here for the last two weeks of July. I can't wait!" Mona's face radiated with happiness. Just then, she noticed Rory. "Who're you?"  
  
"I'm Rory Gilmore. I'm staying with Tristan at his place up here for the summer."  
  
"Well, OK then. Does anyone wanna go into town with me?"  
  
"We were just headed there. We'll be happy to give you some company," Amanda told her friend.  
  
"Actually," Paula spoke up, "Jeff and I are supposed to meet my parents for lunch in a few minutes."  
  
"Ok, see you guys later."  
  
"Bye, it was nice meeting you Rory" said Paula and Jeff.  
  
"Nice meeting you," replied Rory. Paula and Jeff made their way down the hill.  
  
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Ok, gonna have to stop there for now. Please review! Just click the little blue button, you can do it… 


	7. Exploring, an invite and the 4th of July

Thanks to all of you who reviewed so far! I really, really, really appreciate it. Yes, Shadow Goddess, the island is a real place. It is in upstate Michigan, in Lake Superior. You really should visit if you get a chance- it's so much fun, and you can get the best fudge in the world!!!!!!!! Anyway, enjoy this chapter!  
  
The group of teenagers wandered through the small town on the island, stopping at touristy shops and taking lots of pictures of one another. Everyone insisted on getting fudge, and Rory was only too happy to comply. Rory sighed. She missed Stars Hollow, her mom and Luke and the twins, but she was having the time of her life!  
  
"So, Rory, you're from Connecticut?" Mona asked casually.  
  
"Yep. Stars Hollow, born and bred. It's a small town near Hartford," she explained, noticing Mona's look  
  
"Great." Mona really liked Rory; she found they had a lot of the same tastes in books and music.  
  
"Hey, Mona, Rory! Say cheese!" Mona and Rory turned and smiled, scrunching close together, as a camera flash went off in their faces.  
  
"I want a copy of that," Mona said, when the picture had been taken.  
  
"Me too, please," Rory requested to Matt.  
  
"Sure thing, ladies." Matt grinned.  
  
  
  
The waves lapped up on the shoreline, wetting the soft, white sand. Luke and Lorelei listened to it, sighing in contentment. They were sitting on the gorgeous outdoor patio of a restaurant in Oahu, Hawaii. When the waiter came by, Luke ordered two glasses of their best champagne, and some fresh salmon for himself. Lorelei ordered a salad and some crab legs.  
  
"I'll be right back" Lorelei grabbed her purse. She found the waiter and asked him to exchange her champagne for non-alcoholic, without telling her husband. Then, she ducked outside and made a phone call.  
  
  
  
Rory was in bed, reading, when her cell phone rang. She picked it up, glancing at the caller ID. When she saw that it was her mom, she answered immediately.  
  
"Mom! How are you?"  
  
"I'm fine, sweetie. How's Mackinac?"  
  
"It's great! I met some new friends."  
  
"That's wonderful, sweetie. I miss you."  
  
"I miss you too, Mom. How's Hawaii?"  
  
"Fantastic! It's gorgeous, and warm, and sunny…"  
  
"I wish I was there"  
  
"Oh, sweetie, I wish you were here too. But that's not why I called. I have some news!"  
  
"What's up, Mom?"  
  
"Sweetie… how would you like to be a big sister- again?"  
  
Rory gasped. "You're pregnant? Mom, that's wonderful! Does Luke know?"  
  
"No, he doesn't know. I'm going to tell him tonight."  
  
"He'll be thrilled."  
  
"I know. Anyway, I'm gonna go now. I love you."  
  
"I love you too, Mom. Bye!"  
  
"Bye." Lorelei hung up the phone and headed back to the table.  
  
"What's up? You took awhile."  
  
"Sorry. Rory called."  
  
"How's she doing? Tristan hurt her yet?"  
  
"Surprisingly, no. Anyway, Luke, I have some news…" her voice trailed off as the waiter brought their salads.  
  
"What's up?" Luke asked, when the waiter had gone again.  
  
Lorelei took a sip of champagne. "Luke, sweetie…" Lorelei decided to just spit it out. "I'm pregnant!"  
  
Luke grinned. "Pregnant? I'm gonna be a daddy again?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
Luke's smile widened. "Pregnant… you're sure about it?"  
  
"Positive. The doctor confirmed it this morning."  
  
"That's great! What do you say we get this food to go and head back to the hotel?"  
  
Lorelei grinned. "I say that's the best idea you've had all week."  
  
  
  
  
  
"What ya reading?" Tristan came out onto the wrap-around porch, where Rory sat on the swing bench.  
  
"It's called 'Devine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood'."  
  
"What's it about?"  
  
"Well, it's about these four girls, best friends, and their lives together. It's really a great book. Rory laughed. "I just got done reading the funniest part, concerning this Shirley Temple contest…"  
  
"Interesting. Anyway, my cousin just called. It seems her parents are going to be in Italy during the Cherry Festival-"  
  
"The Cherry Festival?"  
  
"It's a whole festival celebrating the cherry harvest. Traverse City's known as 'The Cherry Capital of the World', and every year at the beginning of July there's a festival celebrating that. There's a carnival, and parades, and a 'court' with Princes and Princesses and a Queen, and there's a pie-eating contest, and a wheelchair race… it's fantastic. I try to go whenever I can. So, anyway, my cousin Lucy's family has a cabin in Traverse, and her brother's going, but he's bringing his girlfriend and no doubt they'll be shacked up in my aunt and uncle's room the whole time. So, she wants to know if we could keep her company. She said we could bring up to six people."  
  
"Only for a week or so, right?" Rory wanted to stay on this island as long as possible.  
  
"Right. Then we can come back here."  
  
"I'm in, I guess."  
  
"Great. I'll call Lucy back and tell her we'll be there on the 5th. The fest starts the 6th and runs through the 13th. Pack enough clothes; we'll leave Traverse on the 14th. Wanna come and see if anyone else wants to go?"  
  
"Sure." Rory lay down her book, and made her way over to Matt's house.  
  
  
  
"Ok, so we have me, you, Matt, Sarah, Washu, Mona, Amanda, and Danni, is that right?"  
  
"Yep. I told the girls all the d's, they'll meet us here at noon sharp tomorrow morning." Rory and Tristan sat at the kitchen table of Tristan's house, discussing plans for the trip. It was July 4th, and Rory and Tristan were about to go meet their friends for a party on the beach. First, though, they needed to get this planned out.  
  
"You all packed?"  
  
"Yep. You?"  
  
"Of course" Tristan grinned at Rory. "I called Lucy, she's expecting us between 3 and 4 tomorrow."  
  
"Great. Enough planning," Rory got to her feet, "let's go party!"  
  
  
  
Rory stood with Amanda, Danni, Washu, Sarah, and Mona by the bonfire. She toasted another marshmallow and sandwiched it between two graham crackers, adding a piece of chocolate.  
  
"Mmmm. Nothing better than S'mores," Rory grinned at her friends.  
  
"You said it!" Amanda and Mona said together.  
  
"Jinx! Owe me a coke!" Mona said to Amanda.  
  
"Damn. You always win."  
  
"I know," Mona grinned. That minute, a burst of color exploded in the sky. The group stood together and watched the fireworks display put on by Sarah's dad.  
  
"Happy Fourth of July!" they chorused.  
  
  
  
Ok, I know that was a weird place to end the chapter, but study hall's almost over. PLEASE REVIEW! Just click the lil blue button. (Sounding like Rob Schneider in 'The Waterboy') You can do it! 


	8. Welcome to Traverse City

Thanx 4 all the reviews thus far! I should probably clarify, Traverse City's in upstate Michigan, and Tristan and Co. are going BECAUSE the parents are gonna be in Italy and there'll be extra room. I realize I worded that wrong, and I apologize. Lack of time and lack of sleep will do that to a person. I will be updating more often now, because all of the projects that I have been swamped with lately are FINALLY DONE! (Dances around joyfully) Oh, all of the places mentioned in this chapter and the last chapter are real, and I DON"T OWN ANY OF THEM. (Except the cabin, well, my parents do) I do own Sunny (she's modeled after my dog, right down to the name). Oh, and I figured out that I've been spelling Lorelai wrong, so from now on it will be spelled L-O-R-E-L-A-I. I was spelling it with an 'E' because that's what the spell check said to do, but the spell check is wrong, damn it! Ok, we can finally get back to the fic now…  
  
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"Turn here" Tristan instructed Rory, pointing to a dirt road. She had begged to take over the driving, and Tristan had finally let her. Rory loved to be behind the wheel of his SUV. It was so much fun to drive, much better than her mom's Explorer or Luke's truck. Tristan was riding shotgun, and Mona and Matt were in the backseat. Danni, Amanda, Sarah, and Washu had taken Sarah's car. Sarah didn't live on the island, like Tristan, she was a summer visitor. She had her BMW X5 parked where Tristan's car was.  
  
After driving along the dirt road for about a mile, Rory finally pulled into the driveway of a cabin. It was made entirely of logs, and it had two floors. The ceiling was lofty and the cabin looked large. The driveway turned into a parking lot situated behind the cabin, but it also sloped down to one of the side doors of the cabin. There were steps leading down to the other side door.  
  
"Tristan!" A girl with blond hair and a nice tan came running out of the cabin.  
  
"Hey, Luce! These are my friends: Matt, Rory, Sarah, Amanda, Mona, Danni, and Washu.  
  
The girl looked puzzled. "Washu?"  
  
"It's the name of an anime character. My friends and I are each a character from the show Tenchi Muyo. Ashley's Ayeka, Chelsea's Sasami, I'm Washu, and Paula's Ryoko. Our friend Ben is Tenchi. Unfortunately, none of the rest of them could come, as Ashley and Chelsea is at Chelsea's condo in Florida, and Paula's probably having a roll in the sack with Jeff."  
  
Lucy just looked confused. "Ok… Well, come on in, I'll show you around."  
  
The group followed her down the steps and into one of the side doors. "My brother's here, but he and his girlfriend haven't left Mom and Dad's room since we got here last night." Mona looked disgusted. "It's the only one with a double bed," Lucy explained. "Besides, the sheets are brand-new. Here's the bathroom, and this is the back room, we mostly just use it for storage, and for the dog. She ran away this afternoon, but she'll be back." The group went up a step into a great room/kitchen. "This is the great room, and this," Lucy led the group to two bedrooms "is my brother's room, where you and Matt will be sleeping, Tristan. Don't worry; the sheets in here are new, too." The little bedroom had two twin beds, set up in an 'L' shape against the walls. There were two dressers, and a luggage stand was in the corner. Tristan and Matt decided to unpack, while Lucy led the way up a spiral staircase to a small landing with a railing. She opened a door. "This is my room. Hope you girls don't mind sharing!" Nobody minded, luckily.  
  
The loft room was large and gorgeous. It ran the entire length, and almost the entire width, of the cabin. 3 of the four walls had windows, each with a gorgeous view. There were two daybeds, one against each wall. There was a long table between the beds. There was no overhead light, but there were lamps scattered all over the place. One wall had shelves hung up on it. There were six in all. Knickknacks were on the two dressers. There was also a closet. It was attached to the wall, but it stuck out. Posters were scattered around the walls, and two cots were set up near the daybeds. A small bathroom was at one end of the room. It barely held the sink, toilet, and shower stall. "There's a bigger bathroom with a tub downstairs" said Lucy. "But it's a lot easier with two bathrooms, so Mom and Dad had this one built.  
  
"Do you share this room?" Mona inquired.  
  
"No, but I usually have guests when we come up here, thus the extra daybed and dresser. The other daybed makes a great couch. Plus the stuff all came as a set, so…"  
  
"I see." Danni plopped her stuff down on one of the cots. "I'll take this bed… I don't mind sleeping on cots."  
  
"I don't care which bed I have," said Mona, "as long as it's not a cot."  
  
Rory had already put her backpack down on the other daybed, without really thinking about it. "Well, I guess we know which bed Rory wants" Amanda said, chuckling. Rory blushed. "I don't need to have a daybed; do any of you want it?"  
  
"No, no, it's fine babe. I'll take the other cot," said Sarah.  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Positive."  
  
"Guess that leaves Washu and Mona with the trundle beds" said Lucy. The girls unpacked their stuff quickly, and went outside. They found Matt and Tristan sitting on the huge back deck, which overlooked the lake. They were sipping cokes and grinning. "I don't think they'll stop checking the curtains anytime soon!" said Matt. Lucy groaned.  
  
"Do NOT tell me…" the boy's grins were answer enough. "Ewwwwwwwwwwwww" Lucy moaned in disgust. Just then, a golden Labrador retriever ran up the steps onto the deck. "Sunny!" Lucy yelled. The dog began to jump on Sarah, licking her face and sniffing her hair. "Where were you? Come on." Lucy grabbed the dog's collar and led her into the cottage. She shut the half door (you know; the kind of door that has a bottom but no top? Kind of like those old-fashioned stable doors you always see in movies and books) that separated the back room from the rest of the cottage firmly and went back outside. Sunny just flopped on her bed, panting.  
  
"I'm hungry" Tristan stood up. "What's for dinner?"  
  
"There's a great place if you want burgers," said Lucy. "My appetite's gone now, (she glared at the boys) but I can take you there if you want. Bring your roller blades!" Everyone got them and put them in the trunk of Lucy's car, and Lucy grabbed her's and her brother's out of the shed for Rory.  
  
Amanda's stomach growled loudly, and she laughed. "I'm ready to go!" she said. The rest of the group agreed. Lucy knocked on the bedroom window, and yelled that the teens were going to Sledder's; did the couple want to come along? Lucy's 21 year old brother, Rob, shouted "No!" Rory, Tristan, Matt, Sarah, and Washu all piled into Tristan's car. The remaining four climbed into the brand-new Mustang Cobra belonging to Lucy.  
  
  
  
By the time they got to Sledder's, the place was packed. Matt spotted a huge round table, and grabbed it for the group. The place was crowded, noisy, and smoky. The bar and all of the tables and chairs were made of old, scarred wood. There was a non-smoking room, obviously an addition, off to the side. That, too, was packed. The walls were decorated with the heads of various animals. A bell rang behind the counter, and Rory looked up to see a little girl being lifted off of a ladder. "Someone kissed the moose!" exclaimed Lucy. Washu wrinkled her nose. "People actually kiss that thing?"  
  
"It's fun! You used to get a free T-Shirt when you did it, but now all you get is some people clapping for you."  
  
Tristan looked suggestively at Rory. "You wanna be my moose?"  
  
Rory sighed. "Tristan, you've been so good all summer. Don't ruin it now!"  
  
A waitress came over, and took the group's orders of burgers, fries, and sodas. "This place is great!" said Danni.  
  
"Yeah, it's one of my favorite restaurants" agreed Lucy. "So, Tristan, how are Aunt Louise and Uncle Martin?"  
  
Tristan sighed. "Not too bad- for them. Dad's always working, and Mom's always away, so they don't even see each other most of the time, anyway. Tess is with her friend Laura for the summer in New Orleans," said Tristan, referring to his twin sister, who went to boarding school in New York City, and had been for most of her life. Tristan used to go there, too, but he had gotten expelled due to some "minor" pranks he had pulled his freshman year. He had liked Cranbrook (actually, Cranbrook is in Michigan, but whatever) a lot better then Chilton. There were no uniforms required, and he had been able to live away from his parents.  
  
"Oh." Lucy felt bad for her cousin. His parents didn't care about him or Tess much at all, they were never home. As a result, Tristan and Tess stayed away from home as much as possible. Lucy had always had a happy life at home, her parents cared about her and Rob, and they did whatever they could to be good parents.  
  
"So, guys, how's life on Mackinac Island?" Lucy asked suddenly, turning the conversation to a cheerier topic. The teens kept up an easy chatter while they finished their meals. Each of them made sure to kiss the moose before they left the restaurant.  
  
After dinner, the teens got ice cream from a stand across the street, and decided to work off the calories by blading along the bay. They laced up their skates and rolled off, crossing a busy street before coming to a paved path that ran along Grand Traverse Bay for miles. They skated, laughed, and had a good time. When Mona began to complain of achy legs, they decided to head back to the cabin.  
  
*************************************************************************  
  
When the 9 kids got back to the cabin, they found Rob sitting at the kitchen table with a leggy blonde. "Wow, you're up" commented Lucy. "Hi, Katie, nice to see you." Katie returned the greeting.  
  
"Shut up, Luce" said Rob, scowling. "We just came out to get food. But I see the lake…" he turned toward his girlfriend "and I'm thinking we could have some fun there." Katie grinned and nodded, and the couple ran out the door, dressed only in robes. Tristan yawned. "I'm gonna go to bed" he said, going into his room, followed by Matt. The girls decided to follow their example, and headed upstairs.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
"So, guys, how's your summer been so far?"  
  
"Not too bad" answered Amanda.  
  
"Where are you from, Lucy?" asked Rory.  
  
"I'm from Bloomfield Hills. It's in Lower Michigan, about half an hour away from Detroit. It's an incredibly boring place, there's not even really a town. It's just a bunch of houses. Luckily, there's Birmingham and Royal Oak to shop in if you want entertainment."  
  
Mona wrinkled her nose. "Sounds boring. At least there's stuff to do on Mackinac."  
  
"It is boring," Lucy agreed. "But what can ya do, right? I'm gonna go to sleep now, I'm tired. You all wanna go into town tomorrow?"  
  
"Sounds good" said Rory. With that, everyone went to sleep.  
  
  
  
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OK, ending this chapter. It just seems like a good place to stop. Please R/R! The more reviews I get, the faster the next chap gets up! 


	9. Fun @ The Cherry Fest.

I'm back! Sorry about the lack of updates, but I went up north and forgot my laptop, and then came home to find that ff.net was down. So to appease my loyal readers, here are not one, but two chapters for you to read. Enjoy!  
  
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The group of teens walked around downtown. It was the first day of the Cherry Festival, and Traverse City was crowded. They came across an outdoor market, and everyone got some stuff. Homemade soaps, muffins, cherry pies, etc. Then they walked into the town, deciding they wanted to get something to eat.  
  
"Follow me, I know the perfect place" said Lucy, leading them to The Omelet Shoppe and Bakery.  
  
The group walked into the small restaurant, and after twenty minutes or so, they were all finally able to sit down. The waitresses had put several small tables together in the center of the restaurant, to form one big table. Their waitress came over and asked if she could take their drink orders. Everyone ordered coke, orange juice, decaf coffee, or water, except for Rory.  
  
"I'll have three coffees." Tristan smiled.  
  
"Why don't you just have one to start with, I'm sure you can get refills later."  
  
Rory pouted, but knew Tristan was right. "Fine. One black coffee, please."  
  
The waitress was back with their drinks in a matter of minutes, but it was enough time for everyone to figure out what they wanted. Matt and Sarah decided to try the cherry pancakes; Lucy, Rory, Tristan, and Washu had blueberry pancakes; and Mona, Amanda, and Danni wanted French toast.  
  
When the food arrived, everyone dug in and discussed plans.  
  
"It's supposed to rain on Friday" said Mona, disappointedly, as she looked at the weather section of the newspaper.  
  
"Devine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood starts that day," said Rory, who was really enjoying the novel. "Let's go see it!"  
  
"Ya-ya!" said Amanda. The previous night, the girls had discovered they had all read the book 'Devine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, except for Danni. They decided to make themselves 'Ya-Yas'. They weren't sure yet exactly what that entailed, but they thought it was fun. The guys just looked confused at Amanda's statement.  
  
"Chick flick" muttered Tristan, disgustedly.  
  
"Ok, go see a different movie then. One of those action flicks with no plot" said Mona.  
  
"Fine!" said Matt. We will. (I have nothing against action movies, btw. In fact, I love them. Has anyone seen 'The Sum of All Fears? Great movie! Oh, and I know the dates are off, but this is fanFICTION, right? So pretend 'Devine Secrets' and 'Sum of All Fears' comes out in July)  
  
And so the plans were made. The group would go to the mall that Friday, shop, and see movies.  
  
When the meal was over, the group walked outside, stopped briefly at The Firehouse Fair antique shop, and turned onto the main street of town. They each got a slice of fudge at Doug Murdock's, and they went to the toy store (just to look around and revert back to childhood, Rory said.). Then, Rory spotted Horizon Books. She insisted they go in. Matt and Danni, who weren't really into books, decided to hang out outside at one of the outdoor tables. The rest of the group joined them long before Rory was done. Tristan saw there was a theater next door to the bookstore, and the group went over to check it out. Tristan saw that 'The Phantom of the Opera' was playing there that week, and, remembering that Rory loved that book; he asked the group if they would mind going to see it.  
  
Nobody minded, and each bought a third-row ticket for that Tuesday night. Tristan got Rory's as a gift and asked the gang to keep it a surprise until later. (Highly unlikely 9 third-row tickets would be available on such short notice, but whatever)  
  
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Lorelai rang the doorbell. She and Luke were at Richard and Emily's house to pick up the twins, and also to have the requisite weekly dinner. Richard and Emily were going to be out of town that Friday, so Emily had asked if they could have the dinner that night instead.  
  
"Luke! Lorelai, come on in" Emily beckoned them inside. "The twins will be thrilled to see you."  
  
"How were they?" Lorelai asked her mother.  
  
"Little angels, of course" Emily replied. "Richard! Luke and Lorelai are here!"  
  
"Hello, hello" Richard's voice boomed in the foyer. "Let's go into the living room, shall we?"  
  
Everyone headed into the living room, and Emily began to pour glasses of white wine. Lorelai, knowing she couldn't have alcohol, ignored hers and set it discreetly aside.  
  
"Mom, Dad, we have some news" Lorelai began.  
  
"What is it, Lorelai? Spit it out" said Emily impatiently. "What do you need to tell us, that you joined the Mile-High club or something?"  
  
"Actually, we did, but that's not the news," said Lorelai, as her husband blushed. "I'm pregnant!"  
  
"Pregnant? I'm going to be a grandmother?"  
  
"Yep, again" said Lorelai.  
  
"Congratulations, you two!" said Richard. Just then, a maid appeared in the doorway.  
  
"Dinner is served."  
  
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When everyone got back to the cabin, they all got their bathing suits on. They found Rob and Katie sitting on the dock, and Tristan asked if anyone wanted to go for a boat ride.  
  
Everyone did, and Lucy and Rob decided to take turns driving the pontoon boat that Lucy's family owned. They packed a cooler full of pop, grabbed some bags of chips, pretzels, etc, and hopped on the boat. Sunny, of course, jumped on after them. Everyone settled on cushions and towels and chairs, and the boat was off. When they got back, they all bathed in the lake, and then decided to go to Giovanni's pizza place for dinner. Then, they swung by the video store and tried to pick out a movie that they could all agree on. Rob and Katie opted not to be a part of the decision, as they planned to go to bed as soon as they got back. Finally, the teens decided on an old classic, 'Animal House'. They watched the movie, and went to bed.  
  
**************************************************************************** ******  
  
The next day, the weather was gorgeous. Everyone decided to just hang out by the lake, so they got up, got their suits on, and walked out into the sunshine. The thermometer read 80 degrees, and it was only 10 am! Everyone went down to the dock, and Matt and Lucy decided to go put the jet-skis in the water. Mona brought down the portable stereo from the girls' room, and turned on 106.7 The Peak, a top-40 station. She and Amanda sang along to 'The Middle' by Jimmy Eat World.  
  
"It just takes some time, little girl, in the middle out the right…" Danni groaned. "Shut up! You're ruining the song!"  
  
Amanda and Mona looked at each other. Wordlessly, they picked up Danni and threw her in the water. Danni came up, sputtering.  
  
"You will so pay for that!" She started splashing Mona and Amanda. The girls shrieked and jumped into the water. Mona dunked Danni, and Amanda just swam away and taunted them.  
  
"Come get me!"  
  
Sarah and Washu appeared just then, arms full of squirt guns, fun noodles, extra goggles (most of them already had a pair, but whatever), rings (to throw to the bottom of the lake and try and find), and other assorted goodies that one might use for water fun. Rory appeared behind them, rolling a gigantic inner tube (the kind with the bottom, you go tubing in it…). She plopped it into the water, tied it to the dock, climbed into it, and began to read. She had finished 'Devine Secrets' the previous night, and was now reading 'Sense and Sensibility'. Matt and Lucy chose that moment to roar up on the Yamaha jet-skis. Lucy walked to the boathouse and grabbed the two pair of water-skis that the family owned. One pair was hers, the other Rob's. She doubted Rob would mind, however. The speedboat was already in the water, as was the paddleboat. She set the skis down and started singing along with the radio.  
  
"She got her hands up on her knees and her bows on her thighs  
  
She got the twerkin and the servin so I know that she fly  
  
She got me hype, I wanna bite right now yi yi  
  
Say I yi yi yi yi"  
  
"What song is this?" asked Tristan.  
  
"Say I Yi Yi Yi, by the Yin-Yang Twins. Lucy bopped her head to the music.  
  
"It's catchy" said Rory.  
  
"Yeah" agreed Tristan. He was pleased to note that Rory had put her book on the dock and was now just lying on the tube, eyes closed under her sunglasses.  
  
"Come swimming, Rory" he said.  
  
"In a minute" Rory said drowsily, comfy as a cat in the sunlight.  
  
Tristan jumped in the lake and glided, underwater, to where Rory was floating in the tube. With a wicked grin, he positioned himself under the tube and overturned it, causing Rory to topple into the warm lake. She shrieked in surprise, and glared at him.  
  
Tristan held his hands up and looked at her innocently. "What? It's been a minute."  
  
Rory just dunked him and swam away, daring him to catch her. She had forgotten, however, that Tristan was a record-setting swimmer at Chilton. He had caught up with her within 10 seconds, and the two joined the water fight already going on between Danni, Amanda, and Mona. Super-Soakers had now been added, and everyone else decided to join in the fight. They all jumped into the water.  
  
Within a few minutes, the fight was over, and Lucy had been declared the winner.  
  
"Let's play chicken" Amanda proposed.  
  
Everyone was game, except for Washu, who wanted to dry off a little.  
  
It was Rory and Tristan vs. Mona and Amanda; and Matt and Lucy vs. Danni and Sarah. Rory and Tristan beat Mona and Amanda, and Lucy and Matt beat Danni and Sarah. So those two teams went against each other, and Rory and Tristan won.  
  
By this time, Washu had brought down a tray with plastic 9 cups on it (each a different color), three huge pitchers full with Lemonade, Iced Tea, and Cherry Kool-Aid, and bowls full of chips, pretzels, popcorn, and grapes, as well as a plate full of crackers. Sunny was jumping around excitedly, trying to get the food. Washu set the tray carefully on the table, and everyone dug in. Just then, two boys came swimming up to the dock. They looked to be about 14 and 16. The younger one had messy blonde hair and a somewhat pudgy stomach, and the older one had spiked brown hair and a six- pack. Both of them had great tans.  
  
Lucy introduced them as Ben and Joe, from the house down the street. They were her best friends up here, and the only kids her age. Rory noticed Lucy staring at Ben with a look of admiration on her face. She smothered a grin. Clearly Lucy had a major crush on the dark-haired boy, and who could blame her? He was hot!  
  
Then, they noticed Sunny was missing. But not for long. She came bounding up to them, a small black-and-white dog in tow.  
  
"Pepper!" Lucy began to pet the smaller dog.  
  
"Pepper belongs to the Glovers, they live next door" Lucy explained, nodding her head toward the larger house with the two-story deck that was next to the cabin.  
  
"Hi, Mrs. Glover!" Lucy waved toward a woman sitting on a dock, watching several small children swim. Her grandchildren, Tristan supposed. Though she was nice-looking, she looked too old to be the mother of children that young. The woman waved back with a friendly smile.  
  
The rest of the day, the gang had a great time. They went jet-skiing and water-skiing; took rides in the speedboat and hooked the huge tube up to one of the jet-skis.  
  
When dusk fell, they all decided to grill. They put hamburgers and hot dogs on, as well as a couple of turkey burgers for Sarah, who didn't eat red meat. Mona often teased her about this.  
  
"Come on! Red meat isn't bad for you, green fuzzy meat is." Sarah just ignored her.  
  
The guys were in charge of the grill, and everyone put on cover-ups and sat around on the dock talking. Washu, Lucy, and Sarah, who liked to cook, went inside and made a salad, a fruit salad, and corn on the cob. They ate dinner at the long picnic table set up on the grass, down by the lake. When dusk fell, it was still 80 degrees. The day's high had been 97, a record high for that day. After they had eaten and cleaned up, they decided to build a bonfire, since the ice cream places would unfortunately be closed by then. They built a bonfire, and Lucy dug out stuff for S'mores.  
  
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After awhile, the group decided to head inside and go to bed. They doused the fire with water from the lake, and went inside the cabin.  
  
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And that's all I'm going to write for now. Sorry there wasn't much trory action in this chapter, but there will be more in the next chap, I promise. 


	10. The Beach and a Movie Night

The next day was just as gorgeous as the previous one had been. The group decided to go to the beach, and Lucy said she knew the perfect one. They all piled into Lucy's and Tristan's cars, and headed to North Bar Beach, about half an hour away from Traverse City. They stopped and got snacks and sandwiches, and batteries for the portable boom box. Then, they went to the beach.  
  
"This is gorgeous" thought Rory. The beach was accessible through a path that led from the parking lot to North Bar Lake. There was a channel where the warm North Bar Lake joined the frigid Lake Michigan waters. Waves crashed on the sand on the Lake Michigan side of the beach, which is where the group set up their stuff. Mini sand dunes separated one lake from the other. The beach wasn't that crowded yet, as it was only ten o clock, but Lucy warned them that it soon would be. She, Rory, and Tristan took the other beach blanket they had brought, and went to stake some claim on the North Bar side of the dunes. The group had brought along some rafts, floats, the large tube, a portable air compressor to blow up all this stuff, fun noodles, goggles, etc, the jet-skis, and for some reason unknown to the rest of the group, Lucy had packed a mini trampoline in the trunk of her car. She dragged it to the North Bar side of the lake.  
  
"Watch" she said, when Rory asked what it was for. She proceeded to set it up on the shore, next to the lake, in front of the tallest dune. She then climbed the dune, ran down it, and jumped off of the trampoline, into the water. She surfaced, laughing delightedly.  
  
"Try it!" she said. "The lake's really deep after the first foot or so, and it's just like hopping off of a diving board, only more fun. Rory and Tristan grinned and raced each other to the top of the dune. Tristan let Rory win. She took a deep breath, ran down the dune, and jumped off the trampoline. "That was great!" she said. "I'm gonna go see what everyone else is doing."  
  
Lucy and Tristan said they'd go with her. When Rory professed nervousness about leaving everything where it was, Lucy grinned and said it was fine.  
  
"No one will touch the blanket or cooler or anything, but bring your beach bags where you can keep an eye on them. You never can be too careful." That said, the trio left the blanket and everything else on the sand, grabbed their beach bags, and hiked over to where the rest of the gang was.  
  
By then it was about eleven o clock, and the beach was getting a lot more crowded.  
  
"Now I see why we came early" said Tristan, glad that they had already claimed some space on both sides of the beach.  
  
Lucy waded into Lake Michigan delightedly. Rory tentatively stuck her foot in, and then drew it back out. "It's cold!"  
  
Lucy was already diving into the waves.  
  
"Come on, sissies! It's not that bad!"  
  
Mona and Sarah were reading fashion magazines on the blanket. "Later" they said. Danni and Tristan ran in and swam out to join Lucy. Rory waded in slowly, and then discovered it wasn't that bad after a while. Her body just kind of got numb. The rest of the gang had been informed about the delights of the trampoline and had run over to try it.  
  
For the entire day, they swam, laughed, and had fun. They played volleyball, played with all of the toys they had brought, Jet-skied in Lake Michigan and decided they would never have a better jet-skiing experience, and jumped off the trampoline numerous times. At about six o clock, they reluctantly packed everything up. They decided to take a driving tour of the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. This involved basically just driving around to various checkpoints, admiring the view, and taking lots of pictures. So they changed into dry clothing, and headed off.  
  
After doing the tour of the dunes, they decided to stop for dinner. They went to Friendly's Tavern in Empire, and had a delicious dinner. Then, they left Empire and headed back toward Traverse City. First, though, Lucy led them to get ice cream at a place called Moomer's. After they had each gotten out of their respective cars, Lucy explained that this place made the best (American) ice cream they would ever have. (The best ice cream period is Italian ice cream. If you get a chance to have some gelato, I highly recommend you take it.)  
  
"They make the ice cream right here" Lucy explained, pointing to the cows grazing in the field about thirty yards away.  
  
The minute those words were said; everyone rushed in to get some ice cream. They ate it at picnic tables outside, and watched the cows. Then, they went back to the cabin for some fun: a Gilmore-style movie night with a twist.  
  
Earlier in the day, everyone had chipped in and paid Rob a hefty amount of money to buy the teens alcohol. They got back to the cabin and dug into tons of alcohol and junk food. Rory and Amanda both declined the alcohol, but Rory soon got into it due to peer pressure (Rory probably wouldn't give in to peer pressure, but just play along for the story's sake).  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
The others had gone to bed, but Rory and Tristan were still up, watching 'Grease'. By then they were both a little drunk, and they got up and performed along with the TV.  
  
"I got chills, they're multiplying…" sang Tristan, rather off-key.  
  
"You're the one that I want" Rory and Tristan both sang along. They got closer and closer. Suddenly, their lips met in a passionate kiss.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Hehehehehehehehe I feel so evil. I want at least 10 reviews before I get the next chapter up! 


	11. Surprise Visitor

Their lips met. Tongues wrestled for a few seconds before Rory pulled away.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Tristan, I- "Rory struggled to sober herself up. "I can't do this."  
  
Tristan pulled away, hurt. "Why not?"  
  
Rory sighed. "It's a lot of things. That thing with Dean, and I'm not looking for a serious relationship, and," Rory swallowed "I don't like you that way" she said. It was a lie, one of the biggest lies she had ever told. She just didn't know if she could get into a relationship right then. "Look, can we just pretend it never happened?" she asked.  
  
"Sure, I guess" said Tristan. "Kiss? What kiss?"  
  
"Thanks" Rory smiled in relief. "Well, I'm gonna go to bed. Night."  
  
"Night," said Tristan, going into his room and shutting the door.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
Rory woke up around ten the next day. She was tired and she had a bit of a headache. She went for a swim and washed her hair, which helped clear her head a little bit.  
  
While she was getting dressed, Mona bounced up the stairs and knocked on the bedroom door.  
  
"Rory? You decent?"  
  
"Come on in!" called Rory.  
  
"Look what we got!" She held up the Phantom of the Opera tickets. "It was supposed to be a surprise for tonight, but I realized no one brought anything to wear. So, we're going shopping! I saw the cutest dress store in town."  
  
"Wait a minute" Rory grabbed the tickets. "8:00" she murmured to herself "third row? How did you guys get these?"  
  
Mona shrugged. "I guess we got lucky," she commented. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go!"  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
The guys went to buy nice pants, shirts, and shoes at Miliken's, the main department store in town. The girls flipped through the dresses, but no one saw anything they liked except Danni. She ended up with a pair of nice black pants and a short sleeved blue blouse. The girls then left the guys to do their own thing, and headed to Windsor, the store that Mona had been talking about.  
  
All of the girls found something there that they liked, and that was in their price range. Lucy wound up with a turquoise silk dress, and matching strappy sandals. She also found a magenta scarf, and decided to wear her toe and fingernails magenta, also. Mona was wearing a red dress and black shoes. Amanda wound up with a black skirt and red shirt, and she was going to borrow Lucy's knee-high black boots. Sarah wore a two-piece black halter dress. Washu selected a long purple skirt, which she decided to pair with a black top that belonged to Mona, and black shoes that belonged to Amanda. They met the guys in the parking lot, and drove back to the cabin.  
  
They all showered and began to dress. The girls, of course, took a lot longer than the guys did. When the girls finally stepped out of their room around 5:30, the guys were sitting on the couch, watching TV and grumbling about how long it took for girls to get ready. Matt was wearing khakis and a nice green shirt that brought out the green flecks in his eyes. Tristan was in black dress pants and a white shirt. They looked at the girls, and their jaws dropped to the floor. They both decided it was worth the wait. Tristan couldn't take his eyes off of Rory, in particular. He swallowed. She wore a long royal blue dress with spaghetti straps. It brought out her eyes and showed off her tanned, toned arms to perfection. The nail polish on her fingers and toes matched the dress perfectly. She wore blue eye shadow, a little bit of blush, and just the slightest hint of red lipstick. Her shiny brown hair hung loose down her back. She was gorgeous.  
  
"Shall we go, milady?" he asked, finding his voice.  
  
"Of course, good sir" she replied. Just then, a horn honked. Tristan looked at his watch.  
  
"Ah. 5:45. Right on time." The group headed outside, and discovered an enormous white limo. Tristan had gotten it as a surprise for all of them. Everyone grinned and headed toward it.  
  
They pulled up in front of The Park Place Hotel, and Tristan left instructions for the driver to pick them up at 7:30. They ate at the restaurant on the top floor of the hotel.  
  
In the elevator on the way back down, everyone thanked Tristan for this wonderful surprise. Mona caught the look on Tristan's face, however, as he looked at Rory. She knew who this surprise had REALLY been for.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
As she got into bed that night, Rory sighed. It had been one of the best nights of her life. The musical had been great. It was the first musical that she had ever been to, despite the fact that she lived so close to New York. The limo ride had been wonderful, as had the food at the restaurant. She sighed happily before settling down to sleep. For some reason, she found herself dreaming of Tristan Dugray that night.  
  
**************************************************************************** *  
  
The next day was warm, but not as warm as the previous few days had been. The gang went to the carnival that was a standard part of the Cherry Festival. They went on all the rides and played all the games. Tristan won Rory a gigantic stuffed teddy bear, and she thanked him. The bear was blue, her favorite color, and it had a purple scarf tied around its neck.  
  
For dinner, the gang headed to The Upper Crust, a pizza restaurant on the edge of town. They ate on picnic tables, overlooking the river that ran through the town. Then, they went to Jack's Market across the street. They still had movies to watch, and planned to have another Gilmore Movie Night- minus the alcohol.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
The days were flying by. Rob and Kati had already left, because Kati had to get back to work. Thursday, they had gone to the zoo, and then watched the Children's parade come down Main Street. They had ridden the zoo train and checked out all of the animals, they had all entered the Cherry Pie eating contest, and they had watched the air show and had gone Mode's Bum Steer, a restaurant and bar, for dinner. The day had turned overcast, and the next morning they all woke up to rain.  
  
Now it was Friday, and they were at Grand Traverse Mall. They all went shopping, and saw 'Scooby Doo'. When that was over, the girls saw 'Devine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood', and the guys saw 'The Sum of All Fears'. At the end of the day, they all returned to the cabin, laden down with bags.  
  
Saturday, it cleared up, and the temperature rose to 85. The group went to the Cherry Royale Parade, which always took place on the last day of the festival. They went back to the cabin and hung out, then they went to dinner at Sledder's, and sat by the bay to watch the fireworks that took place every year on the last day of the Cherry Fest. They went rollerblading while they waited for the fireworks to start. As they lit up the air, the gang reflected on what a wonderful time they'd had in Traverse City.  
  
They next day, Lucy exchanged addresses with everyone, and promised to keep in touch. She jumped in her Mustang, with Sunny safely in the backseat, and made the long drive back to Bloomfield Hills.  
  
The rest of the gang, meanwhile, drove back to Mackinac Island. Tristan sighed as he unlocked the door of the summer house. They had had a great time in Traverse, he reflected. But, he was glad to be back on the island. Rory was over at Mona's house, hanging out with her for a little while. Tristan walked into the living room.  
  
"Hello." Tristan started at the voice.  
  
"Summer?" he asked in disbelief.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
**************************************************************************** **************  
  
Hahahah! Two cliffhangers in a row!!! (Fends off blows) OK, OK, I'll keep going! Sheesh!  
  
**************************************************************************** **************  
  
"I came to see you, of course" she replied, twisting an arm around his neck and kissing his cheek lightly. "I've missed you. We never should have broken up."  
  
"Listen, Summer, I-"Tristan broke off, still hurt and confused by Rory's earlier rejection. Memories of the kiss had been haunting him ever since she said those words.  
  
"I would love to give 'us' another chance. C'mon, I'll show you to a room."  
  
"Don't bother," Summer got up. "I'm staying with a friend." She kissed his cheek lightly. "See you later" she purred, and left the house. Tristan slumped down on the couch, head in his hands.  
  
"What have I done?"  
  
**************************************************************************** ***  
  
OK, this time I'm stopping for real. I'll have the next chapter up ASAP, I promise! 


	12. Meet my boyfriend

Rory walked into the house the next day. She had called Tristan the previous night to tell her she was spending the night at Mona's house. She entered the living room and got the shock of her life. Tristan was on the couch, making out with some girl. They pulled apart for a minute, and Rory recognized Summer's face.  
  
"Summer? What's she doing here?" Rory thought to herself. She gasped, and went upstairs to take a shower. She had plans to meet the girls in town in an hour.  
  
When she came back downstairs forty-five minutes later, Summer was gone and Tristan was sitting on the couch watching TV.  
  
"How was Mona's?" he asked when she sat down next to him.  
  
"Fine. How was Summer?"  
  
Tristan smiled. "You saw us?" He enjoyed the way Rory's temper was raising over Summer. "She's jealous" Tristan thought to himself.  
  
"Yes, I saw you. What's she doing here?"  
  
"She came to visit me. She's staying with a friend."  
  
"Well, congratulations. I know you were devastated when she dumped you. I hope you're very happy together. Now, if you excuse me, I have to get to town." Rory left the house, slamming the door behind her. Tristan grinned. He had the perfect plan: use Summer to get Rory. He knew it was evil, but Summer had been a bitch to him and besides, it was working already.  
  
**************************************************************************** ******  
  
Rory wandered around town with her friends, distracted and lost in thought. They had walked through almost the entire small town, and the rest of the girls were having a great time shopping, laughing, and gossiping. Suddenly, Rory bumped into something. She stopped.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't-"Rory broke off as she looked at the guy she had bumped into. He was tall, with dark hair and a swimmer's build. He was walking with a blonde guy who looked a lot like Tristan.  
  
"Great. Now I'm seeing Tristan everywhere" Rory thought to herself disgustedly. She realized the guy had longer hair and different colored eyes, and was a little shorter than Tristan was. Mona ran up to him, squealing in delight.  
  
"Charlie!" She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard on the mouth.  
  
"This is my boyfriend, Charlie. He goes to Boston Bay college. I'll be joining him there in the fall. Charlie, this is Rory, Amanda, Danni, Sarah, and Washu."  
  
"Pleased to meet you all. This is my friend Jake" Charlie indicated the guy who had run into Rory.  
  
Once all the introductions were made, Amanda suggested they get lunch. They went to a pizza place and took up the whole back wall.  
  
"So, what brings you to Mackinac?" Rory asked Jake, who was sitting across from her.  
  
"Charlie invited me to spend the summer with him. We weren't supposed to come until the beginning of August, but our other trip got postponed. So we'll be here until August 15."  
  
"That's nice."  
  
"Yeah. So, Rory, right?" Rory nodded. "You from around here?"  
  
"No. I'm visiting for the summer with my friend, Tristan. We're staying in his summer place."  
  
"Well, we'll be staying with Mona, so I imagine we'll see a lot of each other." Jake smiled flirtatiously. "Listen, you wanna grab some dinner tonight or something?"  
  
The word 'no' was on the tip of her tongue, but then Rory remembered Summer. So instead, she found herself accepting the date.  
  
"Great" Jake smiled. "Pick you up at 7?"  
  
"Sure." Rory felt a little bad. Jake seemed like a nice guy, and she was using him as a replacement for someone else. She thought about saying she couldn't go on the date after all, but Summer's face flashed through Rory's mind again. She kissed Jake on the cheek before walking out of the restaurant. "See you tonight," she said, and went back to Tristan's house. She had to call her Mom.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
"So let me get this straight. You like Tristan, but Tristan's dating Summer, and you're using Jake to make him jealous. Daughter of mine, I am SHOCKED. I've taught you well." Rory could almost see her mother grinning on the other side of the phone.  
  
"Well, we all know you're the master!"  
  
"Yes, I am" Lorelai said proudly. "Enough about you. Let's talk about me!"  
  
"Sure" Rory said agreeably. "How's Luke? Have you told him he's going to be a daddy?"  
  
"Yep, and I've told Grandma and Grandpa, too. Everyone's thrilled. Actually, the twins don't really get it yet, but everyone else is thrilled." Rory grinned. "So, what are you going to do with the twins? I assume you want the baby to have their room? Oh, and if you think you're moving me, you're dead wrong."  
  
"Well, the baby can sleep in my room for the first few months. The twins will be three in a month, which means they'll be three and a half when the baby's born. I figure by the time they're four, they'll be ready to move all the way downstairs."  
  
"How are the twins? I really miss them."  
  
"They miss you, too. Lisa's taking good care of them during the day."  
  
"That's good. Tell them their big sister says hi, and tell everyone I miss them. I have to go now."  
  
"OK. Bye, sweetie. I love you."  
  
"Love you too, Mom. Bye."  
  
Rory hung up the phone and stood up. She decided to go hunt up some coffee, then she had to get ready for her date.  
  
**************************************************************  
  
Rory sat at the table, playing with her napkin. She should have been having a great time. Jake had taken her to a steakhouse, and the food was excellent. She sighed, feeling bad. Jake was cute, fun, and, she was sure, interesting to talk to- but her mind was on Tristan more then it was on the conversation at hand.  
  
"Rory?"  
  
Startled, Rory looked up at Jake. "Yeah?"  
  
"What's wrong? You seem kind of distracted."  
  
Rory sighed. She knew she would have to tell him. "Listen, Jake-"  
  
Jake cut her off. "I don't like the sound of those words," he said jokingly.  
  
Rory smiled a little. "I'm sorry. It's not you, I promise. It's just- I think I like someone else."  
  
"It's that Tristan guy isn't it?"  
  
Startled, Rory looked up. "Yes. How did you know?"  
  
"The look on your face when you introduced me to him gave it away. Pure longing. The question is, why are you here with me, and not out with him?"  
  
"He just got back together with his ex girlfriend. He was devastated when they broke up."  
  
Jake looked at her gently. "If you really like this guy, shouldn't you want him to be happy?"  
  
"That's just it. I don't think he is happy."  
  
"Well, what if I helped this guy realize his feelings for you? How do you feel about pretending to date me?"  
  
"You mean to make Tristan jealous?" Rory smiled. "I like it! But, are you sure you want to go along with it?"  
  
"Hey, I like you. I want to see you happy."  
  
"That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me. Thank you, Jake."  
  
Jake smiled. "You're welcome, Rory." 


	13. The Chilton Diaries- Pt. 2

~Rory's Private Journal  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
I don't know what to do. I realized that I really like Tristan Dugray, and I'm not sure what to do about it, because he has a girlfriend. I've concocted a plan: I'm going to use this guy, Jake, to make him jealous. Jake has agreed to pretend to go out with me; but I still feel bad about the whole thing. I just hope it works, and all my trouble hasn't been for nothing!  
  
~Rory  
  
  
  
****The online journal of Tristan Dugray: PLEASE KEEP OUT!****  
  
Dear Journal,  
  
My feelings for Rory have intensified tenfold in the past few weeks. I've been around her way too much, and it's beginning to scare me. I've come up with a plan, though.  
  
Guess who came to see me today? None other than that bitch, Summer Thomas. The one that dumped me and left me, heartbroken, in the middle of Madeline's party. She wants to get back together! I told her yes, because I figure it'll make Rory jealous, and maybe, just maybe, she'll want to go out with me. I sure hope this works!  
  
Tristan. 


	14. A Double Date and a New Couple

~Several Weeks Later~  
  
From his bedroom window, Tristan saw Rory and Jake making out by the front door. He had just shown Summer out. He had the sudden childish desire to dump a bucket of water over Jake's handsome little head.  
  
"Stop it, Tristan" he thought to himself. "You're only going to wind up making a fool out of yourself."  
  
Shaking his head, he went down to the kitchen to scrounge for food. Summer's idea of a nice 'restaurant' involved an all you can eat salad bar, and not much else. Tristan hated salad. He entered the kitchen and saw Rory making a sandwich.  
  
"Want one?" she asked, adding tomato slices to the mix.  
  
"Sure" said Tristan and Rory began to make another one.  
  
They sat at the kitchen table with their food. "So, how was your date with Summer?" asked Rory.  
  
"Fine. How was your date with Jake?"  
  
"Good."  
  
"From what I saw, it was more then just "good"," Tristan thought to himself. What he didn't know, was that Rory and Jake knew that he was watching, and had done that little performance to make him jealous.  
  
"Glad you had a good time." Taking his plate to the sink, he rinsed it out and set it in the dishwasher. "Good night."  
  
"Night," answered Rory, as Tristan went upstairs.  
  
Rory sat at the kitchen table and thought. Her plan seemed to be working, Tristan was getting jealous. For a while, she felt a little bad about using Jake this way, but, it wasn't as if he didn't KNOW she was doing it. He knew, and he thought it was a good idea. Shaking her head at her self- doubt, she went upstairs to bed.  
  
*************************************************************************  
  
The next day, Rory and Tristan decided to catch a movie in town, since no one else seemed to be around. They decided on 'Men In Black 2', and laughed hysterically at various parts. Then, they found out the theater was doing a 'midnight classics' series. That night's feature was 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off', and they decided to catch that, as well. Between movies, they grabbed dinner at a nice little seafood restaurant. Tristan dared Rory to try some of his calamari, but Rory politely declined. She decided she would stick with her whitefish and fries. Tristan teased her, and Rory retaliated by throwing a fry at him. He, in turn, dumped some water on her, and they started a minor food fight that resulted in them being thrown out of the restaurant and having to go home to change before the next movie started.  
  
"That was great!" said Rory, as they walked up the stairs at 2:15 in the morning. "I've never been thrown out of a restaurant before! And the movies were hilarious!"  
  
"Me, neither" agreed Tristan. "And I agree with you about the movies."  
  
Rory and Tristan went to bed, glad that they had been able to forget all their jealousy- for a few hours, at least.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
Rory, Tristan, Danni, Matt, and Amanda were bike riding around the island the next day. It was a gorgeous day, and everyone was having a great time. Then, who should they run into but Summer and her friend?  
  
Rory and Tristan had branched off a little from the others, who had paused to rest under a tree. They said that they would catch up later. Then, Rory nearly ran into someone.  
  
"Watch where you're going!" Summer snapped, angrily. "This is a brand-new dress!" Her expression changed when she saw Tristan. "Hi, sweetie!"  
  
"Hi, Summer. Summer, you remember Rory Gilmore?"  
  
"Oh, yeah." Summer glanced at Rory carelessly. "This is my friend, Lana Moore."  
  
"Nice to meet you, Lana" Tristan and Rory said politely.  
  
"Listen, Tristan, I was thinking maybe we could go on a double-date tonight? You, me, Rory, and that guy I've been seeing her around with-"  
  
"Jake" Rory supplied.  
  
"Right. Jake. What do you say?"  
  
"Actually-"  
  
"We kind of-"  
  
Rory and Tristan blurted out at the same time.  
  
"Great! Pick you up at your place at 7:30. Dress to impress!" With that, Summer flounced away.  
  
Rory sighed and pulled out her cell phone. "I guess I'd better call Jake."  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
Rory and Tristan sat across from each other, uncomfortably. Rory could tell Summer was playing footsie with Tristan, because she could feel Summer's foot brush her leg a couple of times. She and Jake were doing their best to look like they were dating. Jake kept brushing her cheek with his lips, and touching her hand. It was making Rory uncomfortable, but she managed to hide it well, thanks to years of acting lessons from her mother.  
  
"So, Jake, what college do you go to?" Summer asked. She wasn't getting much of a reaction from Tristan, and she was bored. Once she found out Jake was in college, however, she decided the evening might not be such a waste, after all.  
  
"I go to Boston U."  
  
"Ohh. a Boston boy."  
  
"Yep." Jake smiled uncomfortably and shifted in his chair.  
  
"My man's so smart!" cooed Rory, after Jake kicked her under the table. She was fighting the giggles that were threatening to come out of her throat.  
  
"You know it, babe" answered Jake, leaning over to kiss her. Tristan just scowled at them, too upset to see that it was obviously an act. Summer was either too dumb or too blind to notice.  
  
"Excuse me" Rory finally choked out. She ran to the ladies room and began laughing hysterically. Once she had finally regained control, she went back to the table. Tristan was in the process of asking Jake what he was majoring in.  
  
"I'm majoring in Physics, with a minor in education" Jake answered. "I plan to be a high school science teacher."  
  
"That's nice," said Tristan, obviously not interested in anything Jake had to say.  
  
Rory was extremely glad when the evening was over.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
Rory stomped up the stairs to her room. Her plan wasn't working. Tristan, equally frustrated, stomped up after her.  
  
"What are you so angry about?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing! What are you so angry about?"  
  
"Nothing!" Tristan sighed in frustration and went to his room. His plan wasn't working. It was time to tell Rory how he really felt. He tried practicing in the mirror:  
  
"Hey babe, you're fine. Wanna go out with me?" No, that wouldn't work.  
  
"Damn bitch, you stupid fly!" No, no, no! That was from a Monty Python sketch, for heaven sakes!  
  
"Listen, Rory, I really like you. Forget about that guy, Jake." Tristan shook his head in frustration and tried again.  
  
"Rory, I really like you. Would you like to go out sometime?"  
  
Unbeknownst to Tristan, the connecting door between his room and Rory's was partially open. Rory had been listening to her headphones (so as not to disturb the rest of the household), but during a break in the music, she heard Tristan's voice:  
  
"Rory, I really like you."  
  
Rory grinned. Tristan liked her? She immediately turned off the headphones and went into Tristan's room.  
  
"I like you too, Tristan."  
  
Startled, Tristan turned at the voice. "Rory? What-"  
  
"Shhh" Rory pressed a finger to Tristan's lips. "I said I like you too."  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Of course, silly! Why do you think I agreed to go on this trip?"  
  
"I thought it was because you didn't want to face a summer of boredom in Stars Hollow."  
  
"No, it's because I wanted to get closer to you!"  
  
"But what about Jake?"  
  
"Do you want to go out with me or not? 'Cause it kind of sounds like you don't. Jake and I devised a plan; I was using him to make you jealous. Now, what about Summer?"  
  
Tristan began to laugh. "I was using Summer for the same reason! I guess great minds think alike, huh Mary? Oh, and of course I wanna go out with you. I've wanted nothing else since the day I laid eyes on you for the first time."  
  
"Well, in that case, I think I will go out with you." Rory grinned. "Now, are you going to kiss me, or not?"  
  
"You asked for it" Tristan murmured, bringing his lips to hers for a deep, passionate kiss.  
  
**************************************************************************** ********  
  
The next day, Rory and Tristan made plans to go on their first official 'date'. Tristan wouldn't tell Rory what it was he had planned, but he ended up surprising her with a candlelight picnic on the beach. Rory 'broke it off' with Jake and Tristan dumped Summer. They laughed hysterically when they saw Summer go up to Jake, flirt with him, and try to kiss him. They laughed even harder when they saw Jake smack Summer across the face.  
  
In January, Lorelai gave birth to a bouncing baby boy she named William Lucas Danes. Everyone adjusted well to this new member of the family.  
  
Rory ended up going to Harvard, and Tristan went to Boston Bay. They continued to date, and Tristan proposed to Rory the day she graduated from Harvard. She accepted, of course. They are now planning the wedding, a simple ceremony to be held in Stars Hollow in August.  
  
Rory, Tristan, Matt, Washu, Sarah, Amanda, Mona, Lucy, and Danni have all kept in touch with each other over the years. They are planning a 'reunion' trip to Mackinac Island for this June, and the above people are of course going to be at the wedding. 


End file.
